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UUKE  UNIVERSn 

rv 

1 

LIBRARY 

The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 

Glenn R, Negley 

' 

THE 


Future  Commonwealth, 

OR 

WHAT  SAMUEL   BALCOM 
SAW    IN    SOCIOLAND. 

BY 

ALBERT    CHAVANNES. 

[Copyright  secured.] 

NEW    YORK: 
TRUE    NATIONALIST    PUBLISHING    COMPANY. 

1892. 


lapter 

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17. 

CONTENTS. 

Page. 

The  Exodus, 1 

The    Object  in    View,     ...       (> 

Some    Rellections, 1") 

A  Philosophical  Digression,  .  1!) 
The  Chances  Made,     .     .     .     .     2(» 

At    The  Hotel, 38 

Public  Management,  ....  40 
The  Right    Spirit,     ....      47 

T!ie   Apprentices, 5S 

About     Education, 00 

Ancient  Institutions,  ...  67 
Ilou.sekecping  in  Socioland,  .  7'A 
A   True  Commonwealth,     .     .       80 

A    ineasant  Ride, 87 

The  I^md  Question,  .  .  .  .  04 
Arbitration  and  Laws,  .  .  .101 
The  Conditions   of  Success,     .     KtH 


EXPLANATORY. 


In  jtre^eiiliii^  tlif  foil.twini;  it.iijjes  t<»  Lhe  pul»lio,  I  dosire 
to  say  a  few  words  lo  «'\|il:iin  llu^  motives  whicli  have  led 
to  llu'ir  piiMic.itioii.  This  can  imst  l)e  done  by  first  (]Uoting 
a  few  sentences  from  an  address  upon  the  Proldetns  of  our 
S'eeond  Century,  delivered  by  Ex-Senator  Ingalls  at  Glen-Eeho 
in    the  summer  of  1891. 

Speakiuijj  of  the  evil  results  of  our  present  industrial  sys- 
tem, Air.  luijalLs  said:  "From  1860  to  1890  the  country  has 
thrown  richer  at  the  rate  of  250,000  dollars  for  every  day 
anil  hour  of  these  thirty  years.  There  has  been  accumulated 
durinj^  that  term  one  liundred  thousand  millions  of  dollars, 
enough  to  give  every  nian,  woman  an<l  child  beneath  the  flag 
a  competency,  enough  to  secure  to  every  family  a  comfortable 
home,  to  educate  and  keep  the  wolf  from  every  door,  and  to 
guard   against    every    misfortune   and  calamity. 

'*And  yet,"  he  continuied  with  a  dramatic  uplifting  of  his 
liands,  "there  are  ten  millions  of  people  out  of  sixty-five 
millions  that  never  get  enough  to  eat  from  one  year\  end 
to   the  other." 

The  speaker  presented  a  strong  contrast  between  the  laborer 
working  incessantly,  only  to  end  his  life  in  helpless  mendicity, 
and  the  31,000  persons  who  hold  more  than  one  half  of  the 
acquired  earnings  for  the  last  hundred  years.  With  a  scathing 
denunciation  of  the  extravagance  which  s|)ends  10,000  dollars 
on  flowers  for  a  wedding,  and  repeating  that  31,000  men 
controlled  one  half  of  the  wealth  of  the  country,  Mr.  Ingalls 
strolled  to  the  front  of  the  platform,  and  raising  his  slender 
form  to  its  full  height,  exclaimed:  "If  thirty  thousand,  men 
can  do  this,  what  is  to  prevent  one  man  from  getting  control 
of  all? 

"Tiie  doctrine  of    the   devil   take>    the  hindmost','"    continued 


ii  EXPLANATORY. 

Mr.  Ingalls,  "is  a  good  one,  but  just  now  it  seems  as  if  there 
were  more  hindmost  than  foremost.  If  the  present  condition 
of  things  were  to  continue  without  being  retarded,  this  land, 
instead  of  being  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the 
brave,  would  be  the  land  of  the  rich  and  the  home  of  the 
slave." 

Making  due  allowance  for  the  exaggeration  of  an  impulsive 
speaker,  there  is  enough  truth  in  Mr.  Ingalls'  indictment  to 
explain  the  general  dissatisfaction  which  now  exists  with  the 
results  of  our  present  economic  system. 

Mr.  Ingalls  does  not  believe  in  the  efficiency  of  the  remedies 
offered  by  the  Nationalists,  and  he  presented  his  objections  in 
a  very  forcible   manner. 

"There  is,"  he  said,  "a  growing  sentiment  in  favor  of  Pater- 
nalism in  this  country — of  the  government  doing  everything — 
of  the  people  doing  nothing.  We  have  now  a  new  school 
of  political  philosophy  that  is  repudiating  the  declaration  of 
independence  and  is  endeavoring  to  t)verthrow  the  maxims  of 
democracy  and  to  insist  that  the  race  shall  not  be  to  the 
stroQg,  that  the  distinctions  ordained  of  God  shall  be  an 
obliterated  statute,  that  idleness  shall  bring  the  same  reward 
as  industry  and  thrift,  that  the  ignorant  shall  be  as  wise  as 
the  learned,  that  debts  shall  be  paid  by  acts  of  Congress,  that 
money  shall  be  made  as  plenty  as  the  autumn  leaves,  that 
taxation  shall  be  abolished  by  acts  of  the  Legislature,  and 
that  property  shall  be  forcibly  distributed  among    men." 

It  is  to  answer  just  such  objections  that  this  story  has  been 
written,  for  they  are  often  heard  among  practical  men  who 
have  really  the  welfare  of  the  community  at  heart.  These 
objections  cannot  be  answered  in  a  few  words,  and  it  has  seemed 
to^  me  that  it  could  best  be  done  by  portraying  a  Common- 
wealth where  the  changes  we  advocate  have  already  been 
accomplished,    showing  how    the  desired    results  can   be  attained 


EXri-ANA  lOKY.  lii 

vvitlioiit  resortinir  to  sucli  revolntionnry  methods  Jis  would  never 
meet  with  tlie  approval  of  sensible  and  practical  men,  and 
that  without  p;tssing  the  limits  of  the  possible  and  practicable, 
many  chanijes  could  be  made  that  would  cause  great  impro- 
vement. 

For  in  this  picture  of  a  Future  Commonwealth  1  have  not 
drawn  on  my  imagination,  but  I  have  carefully  studied  the 
line  which  progress  h:is.  followed  since  the  dawn  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  have  endeavored  to  portray  the  changes  which  will 
probably  take   place  in  the  course  of  coming  years. 

If  my  readers  will  take  the  trouble  to  investigate,  they  will 
find  that  what  I  have  described  as  being  part  of  the  public  ins- 
titutions of  Socioland,  already  exists  in  its  incipient  stages  in 
one  or  the  other  of  the  civilized  nations.  And  furthermore 
they  will  find  that  the  tendency  to  progress  in  the  direction 
described  manifests  itself  now  in  a  greater  degree  than  it 
did  one  or   two    hundred    vears  ago. 

Many  of  these  tendencies,  it  is  true,  are  not  yet  strong 
enough  to  affect  the  laws  or  public  institutions,  but  iheir  in- 
fluence is  felt  among  the  most  intelligent  part  of  the  popula- 
tion, that  is,  among   those   who   lead  in  the   march   of  progress. 

As  some  objections  have  been  made,  during  the  publication 
of  this  story  in  serial  form,  in  the  'Pi-ue  Ndfionalht,  both  as 
to  the  philosophical  belief  and  to  the  spirit  which  controls  the 
enactment  of  the  laws  in  Socioland,  it  seems  well  to  mc  tt) 
say  a   few    words   in    explanation. 

The  reaction  of  all  changes  upon  tiie  surroundings  is  now 
recognized  as  a  positive  fact.  We  realize  now  that  the  success 
of  one  nation  affects  more  or  less  all  other  nations,  and  that 
a  change  in  one  country  implies  a  corresponding  change  in 
all   other   countries. 

But   too   manv   sludentti   of  social    science  fail    to     understand 


iv  KXI'LAXATORY. 

that  the  t-anie  law  holds  ;;tn)il  in  the  social  r(.'latIon.s.  and  we 
now  have  the  HjMjctacle  uf  a  world  full  of  social  refonuers  who, 
dissatisfied  witii  some  of  the  present  conditions,  strive  with 
main  and  iiii<,dit  to  cliange  them,  and  at  the  same  time 
strive  just  as  hard  to  prevent  corresponding  changes  in  other 
directions.  With  oae  hand  they  push  along  the  car  of  progress 
and    with    the    other  they    work  just   as   hard    to    hold    it    hack. 

Nothing,  in  my  estimation,  has  more  inflnence  upon  [irogress, 
aside  from  the  motive  power  furnished  by  the  desire  for 
increased  happiness,  than  the  religions  beliefs  of  the  people. 
They  control  its  conduct,  public  and  i)rivate,  and  are  respon- 
sible  for    the    spirit  of  its    laws. 

Increased  knowledge  has  opened  to  mankind  greater  prospects 
of  happiness,  which  have  been  checked  by  religious  beliefs 
handed  down  to  us   by  past  generations. 

The  result  is  that  our  religion  and  our  environment  no 
longer  agree.  The  environment  is  of  to-day,  the  religion  is 
of  the  past. 

This  is  felt  and  realized  by  all  those  who  earnestly  study 
the  social  problems,  and  strenuous  eflfbrts  are  made  to  shape 
and  trim  the  old  religious  doctrines  so  as  to  make  them  fit 
the  new  social  conditions. 

At  the  rate  this  work  is  progressing,  it  will  not  be  a  great 
many  years  before  the  spirit  of  the  Christian  religion  will 
have  been  entirely  changed;  and  according  to  the  changes 
which  have  already  taken  place  within  the  church,  supplemented 
by  the  beliefs  which  are  growing  in  favor  outside  the  church, 
I  think  I  am  justified  in  claiming  that  sometime  in  the  near 
future,  religion  will  resolve  itself  in  something  like  the  philo- 
sophical beliefs  expressed  by  Mr.  Walter  in  the  third  Chapter 
of   this   story. 

The  infiuence  of  the  religious  beliefs  upon  laws  and  conduct 
has  leil  me   to  devote  some  space    to     the   subject,  for   1    claim 


EXPLANATORY.  v 

that  our  economic  condition  is  the  logical  outcome  of  our  pre- 
sent religious  belief,  and  that  both  must  change  together  if 
any   progress   is  achieved. 

In  tlic  sixteenth  Chapter,  I  have,  very  briefly  and  inadequa- 
tely, tried  to  express  my  views  as  to  the  spirit  which  will 
animate  the  coming  generations  and  control  the  enactment  of 
their    laws. 

Every  thinking  person  must  acknowledge  that  nations  are 
growing  more  sympathetic  and  less  (juarrelsome,  and  that  a 
spirit  of  leniency  is  replacing  the  "eye  for  an  eye  and  tooth 
for  a  tooth"  doctrine  of  olden  times.  In  [)r()()f  thereof  I  can 
point  to  tlie  exemption  clauses  in  the  laws  for  the  collection 
of  debts,  and  the  growing  tendency  to  compel  arbitration  in 
cases  of  disputes  between  employers  and  their  laborers.  Both 
exemption  and  enforced  arbitration  are  steps  away  from  exact 
justice  and  natural  rights,  and  are  the  result  of  a  sympathetic 
desire   to    help  those    who   are   defeated  in   the  battle    of  life. 

It  is  true  that  the  American  people,  as  a  nation,  have  as 
much  faith  as  ever  in  the  efficacy  of  the  law  as  a  moral  re- 
gulator, but  among  their  best  men  the  feeling  is  growing  that 
people  cannot  be  made  moral  by  law,  and  other  nations  have 
progressed  beyond   us    in   tliis  direction. 

I  have  not  touched  upon  the  population  question,  and  have 
said  but  a  word  about  the  marriage  rehttion,  not  because  I 
do  not  recognize  their  importance  in  the  solution  of  the  social 
problems,  but  because  they  are  not  as  fundamental  as  the  ques- 
tion  of  religious  beliefs. 

Yet  I  wish  to  put  myself  on  record  here  as  believing  that 
the  tendency  of  the  times  is  toward  educating  the  individuals 
so  as  to  enable  them  to  fulfil  their  duties  as  citizens  in  a 
satisfactory  manner  without  the  need  of  state  control,  and  that 
the  coming  generations  will  be  able  to  allow  individuals  much 
more  fre*>dorn   in    thoir   personal    actions. 


vi  EXPLANATOKY. 

Nationalism,  in  fact,  will  only  prove  acceptable  in  so  far  as 
it  will  know  how  to  reconcile  economic  organization  with  per- 
sonal liberty. 

I  not  only  believe  that  it  can  be  done,  but  I  feel  confident 
that  it  will  be  done;  and  that  it  will  come  to  pass  in  the  evo- 
lution of  social  progress,  that  wrangling,  competing  humanity 
as  we  know  it  to-day,  will,  in  its  persistent  search  after  in- 
creased happiness,  organize  itself*  into  true  Commonwealths, 
with  institutions  somewhat  like  those  1  have  tried  to  picture 
as  existing   in   Socioland. 

How  long  will  it  take  before  it  comes  to  pass?  How  far 
will  the  work  of  organization  progress?  are  questions  the 
future  alone   can    answer. 

For  the   present    I  shall  be  satisfied    if    I    succeed  in     con- 
vincing some  inquiring   mind  that    Nationalism  is    not  an   im- 
possible  dream,   and  that   it    offers    prospects  of    improvement 
lor   society,  which  are  well  worth  the  consideration  of  intelligent 
citizens. 

Albert    Chavannes. 

Knoxville,     Tenn. 


THE 


Future  Commonwealth 


CHAPTEE    I. 

THE    EXODUS. 

Spencer,  Sociolnnd,  Africii, 
June  1,  1950. 
My   dear  friend  Harry  : 

I  have  at  last  reached  this  place  after  a  long  atid  interest- 
ing journey,  and  I  will  at  once  commence  a  journal,  which 
when  complete,  will  enable  me  to  fulfil  my  promi.se  that  1 
would  try  to  faithfully  report  to  yon  whatever  I  should  see 
or  hear  which  could  throw  any  light  upon  the  social  pro- 
blems  in    which    we  are    both    interested. 

I  have  no  dou()t,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  the  people 
since  I  entered  tlie  Commonwealth  of  Socioland,  that  if  I  do 
not  find  here  a  complete  solution  of  the  prol)lems  which 
perplex  us,  I  will  find  at  least  the  resulls  of  interesting  ex- 
periments in  Sociology,  and  valuable  hints  as  to  the  best 
course  to  be  followed  to  secure  a  better  distribution  of  wealth, 
and   an   increase   of  general   comfort. 

For  I  must  at  once  acknowledge  that  these  people  seem 
much  better  satisfied  than  we  are,  and  while  they  recognize 
that  they  have  not  yet  attained  perfect  social  conditions,  still 
thev  are   confident  that  thev   are  travelling  in    the  right  direc- 


2  THE    FUTURP:    rOMMOXWEAl/ni. 

lion,  an.'l  tli:it  :ill  desiralle  <hun;^CK  will  conse  eiisily  ami 
Tiatiirnlly    in    tlu'  cuiirse   of   lime. 

I]nt  l>t.T(ire  1  enter  upon  a  detalliN^  acvonut  of  what  1  see 
an:l  hear,  I  want  to  tell  y<>u  oT  the  eaiis^.s  whi.h  Km!  to  the 
settlement  of  Socioland,  as  well  as  of  the  aims  of  the  first 
<?inij";rants,  which  controlled  their  condui-t  .ind  form  the  hasis 
of  their  pulJic  and    private     institutions. 

I  am  enabled  to  do  so  from  iurormation  I  reooivcd  from 
Mr.  AVaUer,  an  old  iientleman  whom  1  found  o\i  the  hoat, 
a  nntive  of  Ohio,  who  nearly  fifty  years  a.ro  emigrated  l:o 
this  country,  and  I  judge  from  his  conversation,  took  an 
active  part    in    shaping    the    policy   of  the     Coininonweallh. 

You  know  as  well  as  I  do  ilint  the  latter  end  of  the 
XlXth  century  was  a  time  of  great  changes.  Not  only  of  a 
great  development  of  the  natural  resources  and  of  the  producing 
power  of  mankind  through  the  increased  use  t)f  steam  and 
of  electricity,  hut  also  of  changes  iu  tlic  religious,  scientific 
and    philosophical   beliefs   of  the    educated    classes. 

It  wiis  then  that  througli  the  researches  of  Darwin,  Spencer 
an<l  otheis,  commenced  that  period  of  leligious  doubt  in  which 
we  still  are  in  the  United  States,  Truly  before  iheir  time 
theie  had  lieen  skeptics  and  railers  at  the  Christian  religion, 
men  and  women  who  denied  the  authority  of  the  liible,  but 
their  number  was  small,  their  inlluenco  null,  and  civili/ed 
society  was  willing  yet  to  be  controlled  by  persons  who  either 
believed,  or  claimed  to  believe,  that  the  ten  commandments 
were  the  expression  of  the  will  of  God,  and  that  the  more 
closely  they  could  be  followed  and  enforced,  the  better  the 
results  would  be.  These  persons  explained  the  suffering  and 
mi.sery  of  the  masses  as  due  to  the  innate  depravity  ol  human 
nature,  and  the  poor  were  kept  <piiet  by  alternate  doses  of 
( harity  and   of  promises  of   eternal  bliss    in  the  world  to  come. 

Tiie   doctrine  of  evolution,   taught  and  accepted    towards   the 


THE  EXODUS.  3 

end  of  the  ceiituiy,  sapped  this  belief  at  its  basis,  and  it  was 
s(ton  recoorni'/ced  by  those  who  nndertook  to  follow  it  to  its 
{i)iii<';ii  conciMsioos  th;;t  flu-  whnlo  philosophy  of  the  past 
l»tnli,  upon  ;'  belief  in  special  creation,  would  have  to  be  re- 
ico'iele;'  until  nn  entin.-  ('}i:u><:;e  ba'I  \ovn  ^fleeted  in  relicrious 
Ixliei'--,  :'.nd  thict  cVv"n!u.':ily  tiv  ><ieiai  i;:siitutions  themselves 
woviid    be    llicrcby   inflr.cuccd. 

The  spread  of  these  doctrines  nn7(»nfj  persons  of  progressive 
minds  caused  naturally  a  p;reat  commotion,  and  for  a  lonij 
time  confusion  worse  couibui.wcil  was  'the  res'^lt.  Accordiui^  to 
Mr.  "Walter  these  years  were  the  scene  of  such  intellectual 
wrangling  as  the  world  had  never  seen  or  will  probably  ever 
see  again.  First  cone  the  believers  in  these  new  tea(;hings, 
enthusiastically  fighting  for  the  acceptance  of  what  thev  con- 
sidered the  truth,  and  thus  ruthlessly  tearing  down  the  foun- 
dations of  the  Christian  beliefs,  who  were  met  and  opposed 
by  those  who,  honestly  or  from  interested  motives,  clung  to 
Christianity,  and  resisted  all  attacks  which  threatened  its 
existence;  while  mixing  in  the  din  of  the  battle  were  a  legion 
of  persons,  each  v/ith  a  patent  remedy  of  his  own  for  all  the 
ills  of  society,  striving  for  recognition,  and  trying  by  all 
menns  in  their  power  to  bring  their  schemes  before  the  public 
while  the  masses,  fast  lofing  their  interest  in  things  spiritual 
and  their  fear  of  damnation,  and  more  interested  in  physical 
comforts  than  in  speculations  of  a  philosophical  nature,  turned, 
their  attention  to  the  practical  work  of  developing  the  natural 
resources  opened  to  them  through  the  increase  of  mechanical  i 
forces,    and   the    extension   of  the  means  of  C(  rnmunication. 

Out  of  this  intellectual  struggle  soon  emerged  here  and 
there  practical  men  and  women  who,  discarding  religious 
speculations  ntf  to  a  future  existence,  and  the  Bible  as  a 
guide  for  their  actions,  studied  the  laws  of  conduct  in  a 
scientific  spirit,   and    with  the   firm    intention    to    prolit    by  any 


r 


4  THE     FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

new  truths  they  mid;ht  discover.  These  jjersons,  scattere:!  in 
every  p;irt  of  the  United  States,  \v<'re  soon  (Irawn  together 
i»y  a  common  aim,  and  under  the  name  of  Sociologists,  or 
studentj-  of  Social  Science,  formed  themselves  into  clubs  for 
tiie  ptirsnit  of  social  knowledge,  and  to  seek  for  means  of 
jiractical  application  of  such  knowledge  as  could  help  them 
to  a  more  satisfactory  mode  of  life  and  a  better  form  of 
government. 

In  the  pursuit  of  now  knowledge  they  claim  to  have  be^n 
entirely  successful,  and  to  have  discovered  many  new  social 
laws  which,  if  applied,  would  greatly  beneiit  society.  But 
when  they  tried  to  give  their  new  knowledge  practical  force, 
they  found  it  a  more  difficult  task  than  tiiey  had  anticipated. 
Tiie  ntunber  of  persons  interested  in  such  studies  as  they 
pursued  was  comparatively  very  small,  and  the  whole  control 
of  the  government  was  in  the  hands  of  men  who  had  a  direct 
interest  in  opposing  any  changes  and  were  entrenched  behind 
t-enturies  of  possession.  The  masses  were  too  indifferent  or 
ignorant  to  offer  a  fair  hoi)e  of  awakening  to  a  better  way 
out  of  their  misery,  and  personal  conduct  was  yet  largely 
on  trolled  by  laws  enacted  by  men  who  were  earnest  believers 
in  the  infallibility  of  the  Bible,  and  who  felt  it  their  duty 
to   comi)el    by  force   those  who   might  disagree  with   them. 

It  is  not  strange  that  out  of  such  conditions  grew  an  ear- 
nest desire  to  seek  by  emigration  a  land  where  their  new  ideas 
loulvl  iiud  free  development  in  a  virgin  and  unoccupied  coun- 
try, and  that  like  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  earnest  men  and 
women  should  decide  to  leave  home,  friends  and  relations,  in 
the  endeavor  to  found  a  settlement  where  they  would  be  free 
to  follow  the  dictates  of  their  intelligence. 

The  opening  of  the  Dark  Continent  furnished  them  with 
the  desiied  opi»ortunity.  Several  European  powers  had  esta- 
Idished    protectorates   over  large  and   unsettled     portions    of  the 


THE    EXODl'S. 

country,  and  were  anxious  to  sci  thcni  inhabited  hy  a  popu- 
lation which  could  liclp  to  ciieik  the  shive  trade,  and  open 
new    outlets  to   couinierce. 

Taking  advantage  of  this  situation,  trusty  men  wei-e  selected 
to  spy  the  country  and  see  what  prospect  it  offered.  They 
were  remarkably  suc(;essful,  found  a  large  valley  with  fertile 
soil  an  healthy  climate,  and  capable  of  sui)porting  a  large 
population.  They  made  a  treaty  with  the  [jroteeting  power 
whic|i  guaranteeil  to  the  jjroposed  settlement  complete  autonomy 
in  their  internal  government,  and^  they  were  assured  of  pro- 
tection against  foreign  foes  so  long  as  they  could  not  protect 
themselves. 

In  the  mean  time  the  home  clubs  had  made  ready  for  the 
coming  immigration  as  soon  as  the  way  should  be  open,  and 
a  comparatively  large  and  steady  exodus  took  place  from  the 
United  States  to  the  land  of  promise  whiili  the;  baptized 
with    the   name    of  Socioland. 

Of  com'se  they  had  many  difficulties  to  contend  with,  but 
now  they  have  overcome  them  and  they  are  a  prosperous  and 
happy  i)eople.  Their  prosperity  and  happiness  is  not  the 
result  of  chance  or  of  special  advantages  pertaining  to  their 
new  country.  It  is  due  to  the  fact  that  theii  conduct,  public 
and  pi-ivate,  is  intelligently  controlled  bv  what  they  claim  to 
be  scientific  principles.  They  believe  in  a  social  science,  which 
they  claim  is  something  difli?rent  from  political  economy, 
They  study  this  science,  and  instead  of  allowing  the  doctrine^ 
of  Laissez  faire  full  sway,  and  trusting  to  natural  forces  alone 
to  remedy  existing  evils,  they  are  not  afraid  to  help  natuie 
along,  and  to  experinient  in  new  lines  of  public  co-operation 
whenever  they   seem    to   lead  in   the  right    direction. 

So  much  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  say,  to  explain  to  you 
how  it  came  to  pass  that  in  this  far  oft"  land,  a  settlement  of 
our  countrymen    has  been  made,  embued  with    entir«.dy  diflerent 


(\  Tin:    irrruE   (ommon wealth. 

i<lfa,s  frcmi  those    which    olHain  in    Europe  and  Americn. 

.In«t  :»s  New  Enghio'l  was  settFeil  hy  e:irne«(  men  and  wonxMi, 
havin;^  sperial  aims  and  [trofonnd  et)nvi('tions,  wht>  infu.sed  h 
new  country  and  a  new  nation  wiUi  a  new  spirit,  which  li.i'^ 
stnmpel  its  mark  upon  the  United  States  government  and  utxm 
the  character  of  the  peoi)lc,  so  in  this  land  a  n-nv  spirit  ha< 
been  infused,  which,  according  to  my  information,  has  produce!! 
wonderful     resultij. 

Of  this,  however,  we  can  judge  letter  when  I  luive  mixed 
nn)re  with  the  peo[)le,  and  I  am  heltcr  acquainted  will)  the 
liisiitutitins    which    I  hey   havp    lieie    inaugurated. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    OBJECT    IN    VIEW. 

f  found  Mr  Walter  a  very  pleasant  companion,  and  during 
the  few  days  we  spent  together  1  reeeiveil  from  liim  much 
valuable  infornuition.  "VVhen  from  qceslionb  i  m:ide  to  him 
he  understood  why  I  was  going  to  Sociol.md,  am!  learned  from 
my  lii)s  of  the  deep  intcrcL-it  1  felt  in  social  problems,  he 
seemed  as  desirous  of  imparting  knowledge  as  1  was  to  rcccivi' 
it,  and  tried  to  facilitate  by  all  nu'ans  in  l»is  power  the  aiiut. 
1  had  in  view. 

**Mr.  Baleom,''  he  said  to  me  one  evening  as  we  were 
sitting  in  the  cabin  i«»nversjng  upon  Soeioland,  '"it  will  help 
you  very  mucli  to  imdcrstand  what  you  will  see  in  our  country 
if  you  know  the  object  we  had  in  view  in  couung  here,  as 
well   as  some  of  the   means  by  which   we  expected  to  attain  it. 

"There  has  been,  as  you  know,  many  an  exodus  before  our 
own,  but  1    believe    they    were    ail  actuated  by     very     diilerent 


THE    OBJECT     IX     VIEW.  7 

motives  from  tliose  wliich  induced  ns  to  leave  onr  native  land. 
The  Ilebi'cwf^  were  fleeing  from  bondage,  the  Puritans  were 
trying  to  escape  religions  persecution,  and  the  Mormons  ^vanted 
to  establish  a  religions  hierarchy.  On  a  smaller  scale,  but 
nnder  similar  influences,  many  communities  and  co-operalive 
colonies  have  been  t^tarted,  but  they  all  had  a  definite  plan 
which  they  wanted  to  work  out.  We  had  no  settled  plan,  no\ 
definite  scheme,  but  we  had  a  very  clear  idea  of  the  results  / 
we    were   going  to    strive     for.         •  _  ^     , 

"  We  were  dissatisfied  with  society  as  organized  in  the 
I'nited  States,  and  did  not  believe  that  it  aflbrded  to  the 
individual  all  the  facilities  for  comfort  and  hap{)iness  which 
the   natural   advantages   warranted. 

"With  the  increase  of  population  and  wealth  »Many  abuses 
had  been  fostered  that  we  felt  powerless  to  remedy,  and  a 
spirit  of  greed,  strife  and  competition  had  been  engendered 
which  was  uncongenial  to  our  character.  Besides  we  had  out- 
LCrown  the  old  ideas  of  religious  morality,  and  were  tired  of 
having  our  personal  actions  under  the  control  of  laws  enacted 
by  men  whose  standard  uf  morals  was  not  based  upon  the 
result  of  our  conduct  on  our  happinsss,  but  upon  certain  com- 
mandments and  precepts  which  may  have  been  proper  enough 
in  the  barbarous  times  in  which  they  were  promulgated,  but 
h;ul    become  superammated    several   centuries    ago. 

''These  causes  of  dissatisfaction  alTected  not  us  alone,  but 
the  conservative  influences  were  yet  so  strong  that  improve- 
ment was  very  slov/,  and  we  preferred  to  go  to  a  new  country 
where  we  would  be  (vec  to  live  according  to  (»ur  own  ideas 
<»f  right. 

"We  had  faith  in  the  good  'lisposition  of  human  luiture,  and 
believed  t!»at,  if  rightly  taught,  all  persons  would  recognize 
tliat  whatever  promoted  the  general  welfare  would  also  pro- 
mote personal  happiness.     We  wanted   to  educate  our   people  to 


TlIK    FrrrKK    CO.MMONWKALTir. 

tlic  recojinition  of  tlie  solMavity  of  the  interests  of  the  linm.'Uif 
race,  ami  by  tliis  knowledge  repliice  as  far  as  possihle  the 
rhecks  to  selfish  ureed.  now  restrained,  Imt  ndt  diminished, 
hy  religious  anlhority  and    hninan    biw. 

"Rut,  Mr.  Balconi,  we  were  not  reformers  acc-ording  to  the 
meaning  (»f  the  word  among  yon.  We  had  no  jiatent  remedy 
warranted  to  cure  all  the  ills  that  the  llcsh  is  heir  to.  We 
<lid  not  claim  to  know  everything,  and  we  were  fullv  aware 
that  we  could  not  lay  down  any  positive  rule  of  condnet  as  . 
hest  for  us  to  follow.  ^Ve  were  dissatisfied  with  existing 
conditions,  and  wanted  to  see  what  desirable  changes  we  could 
?nake.  We  had  no  desire  to  verturn  the  existing  conditions 
of  society,  or  to  give  up  anything  which  then  gave  satisfac- 
tion. We  wanted  to  try  to  impi-ove  the  public  institutions 
a  little  faster  than  was  possible  with  the  ideas  prevailing  in 
the  United  States,  and  to  conform  our  conduct  to  the  laws 
of  nature,   and    thus  incrc;iso   our  itiosjiccts  of  earthly   ii:ippiness. 

"As  you  can  see  our  aims  were  very  bro:id,  for  it  was  not 
one  special  evil  we  wanted  to  correct,  but  we  wauled  a  ge- 
neral improvement,  based  \\\nm  a  radical  change  m  the  foun- 
dations  of  the   aims   and    belief^  which    control    society. 

"The  broadness  of  our  aims  was  a  great  htlji  to  the  success 
of  our  experiment.  Our  object  being  the  attainment  of  hap- 
pirjess,  all  eflbrts  which  jesulted  in  its  increase  were-  welcomed, 
;ind  no  faidt  found  Avith  the  me:ms  emjjioycd.  Our  submis- 
>'\()i\  to  nature's  laws  made  us  submissive  to  nature's  methods, 
and   we  could   but    approve  of   what    natiin-    rewarded. 

"In  a  word,  we  ai)plied  to  social  science  the  same  tests  that 
are  universally  applied  to  chemistry,  mechanics^  or  any  other 
exact  science.  If  any  one  claiujs  to  have  di.scovered  some 
chemical  formula,  or  mechanical  combination,  which  gives 
satisfactory  results,  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  prove  it  by  practical 
experiments,   .ind  if  successful   it  is    adopted   by  general  consent. 


THE    OBJECT    IN     VIEW.  ^ 

But  in  your  country  you  have  no  test  to  apply  to  social  ex- 
periments, for  you  have  no  social  science  worthy  of  the  name, 
and  tlie  best  results  would  be  either  ignored  or  denounced,  if 
brought  about  by  menus  opposed  to  the  commandments  of 
Moses  or   the  teach in<rs  of  Jesus. 

"We  believed  then,  and  we  believe  now,  that  a  righteous 
end  sanctifies  the  means,  and  not  as  is  taught  among  you 
that  righteous  means  sanctify  the  end.  And  we  further  believe 
that,  so  far  as  man  is  concerned,  an  increase  of  his  earthly 
happiness  is  a  righteous  end,  approved  of  by  the  laws  of  na- 
ture, and  that  all  means  which  tend  to  accomplish  that  result 
are    right    and  proper. 

"And  it  is  because  we  Sociologists  have  accepted  the  increase 
of  happiness  as  a  legitimate  pursuit,  encouraged  and  rewarded 
by  the  laws  of  nature,  and  have  accepted  the  achievement  of 
happiness  as  a  correct  standard  for  public  and  private  actions, 
that  we  decided  to  leave  home,  family,  and  friends,  and  es- 
tablish a  new  Commonwealth  where  greed,  strife,  and  compe- 
tition would  be  held  at  a  discount,  and  peace  and  happiness 
fostered." 

Mr.  Walter  paused  a  moment,  for  our  conversation  had 
taken  him  back  to  the  days  of  his  j^outh  and  to  the  memories 
of  the  past.  But  not  for  long,  for  fixing  his  earnest  grey 
eyes  on  me  he  contiuued:  "Mr  Balcom,  when  you  reach 
Socioland  you  will  find  yourself  in  a  new  atmosphere.  Re- 
member what  1  II in  telling  you,  for  it  will  heV])  you  to  un- 
derstand how  we  have  succeeded  to  accomplish  many  difficult 
undertakings.  The  desire  for  happiness^ brings  many  valuable 
results  in  its  train.  It  fosters  peace,  leads  to  kindness,  en- 
courages unity.  It  teaches  the  value  of  health  and  comfort. 
It  softens  the  heart  and  broadens  the  sympathies.  Seekers 
after  happiness  cultivate  their  minds  and  exercise  all  their 
faculties.     Yes,  the  pursuit  of  happiness  is  a  wonderful  civilizing 


....  V 


10  THE     FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

influence.  I  have  watched  it  at  work  for  fifty  years  and 
more,  and  it  has  accomplished  p:reatt'r  results  than  centuries 
of  fear  or   of   promises  of  eternal   bliss. 

"You  can  have  no  idea  what  a  help  it  lias  Veen  to  us  in 
the  first  years  we  spent  here,  wlien  the  many  diflTerent  opinions 
which  must  'naturally  inanif'3t*  themselves  at  the  beginning 
of  such  an  enterprise  might  have  divided  us  in  many  factions. 
But  instead  of  each  insisting  on  the  special  merit  of  his 
scheme,  we  were  all  willing  to  submit  to  the  test  of  practical 
experience,  and  were  also  decided  to  remain  united  whatever 
might  happen,  for  we  believed  that  the  friendship  of  j  our 
associates  was  more  conducive  to  our  happiness  than  the 
adoption  of  some  pet  opinion  of  ours.  And  now  that  we 
have  safely  launched  our  social  bark,  and  have  achieved  satis- 
factory   results,    we   are    more   united  than     ever." 

I  was  very  much  interested  in  Mr.  Walter's  statement,  and 
in  the  earnestness  of  his  convictions,  and  as  he  paused  1  re- 
marked to  him  that  I  thought  he  had  given  me  a  clearer 
idea  of  the  object  they  had  in  view,  and  that  I  wanted  him 
to  tell  me   how  they  went   to  work    to  reorganize   society. 

"But  do  you  not  understand,"  he  replied,  "that  we  did 
not  intend  to  reorganize  society.  We  wanted  to  improve  it. 
We  did  not  believe  in  setting  aside  all  the  past  ex[)erience  of 
mankind,  and  reconstructing  society  on  entirely  new  lines. 
We  wanted  to  improve  it  on  the  same  old  lines,  which  is  a 
very  diflerent  thing.  New  conditions  had  created  new  abuses, 
and  we  wantetl  to  stop  them  as  far  as  possible.  Not  only  did 
we  want  to  feel  free  lo  work  out  our  own  happiness  in  our 
own  way,  Imu  we  ould  see  also  that  while  the  United  States 
produced   plentifully,    the    distribution    was    very  defective." 

"You  are  entirely  right,"  I  remarked,  "and  probably  more 
dissatisfaction  is  felt  among  us  on  account  of  the  inequality  in 
the  distribution   of  wealth    than   from   any   other   cause." 


THE    OBJECT    IN    VIEW.  ?    11 

''It  is  natural  that  it  should  be  so,"  continued  Mr.  Walter, 
"for  while  production  is  not  as  large  as  it  might  or  will 
eventually  be,  still  it  is  large  enough  to  keep  every  one  in 
comfort  if  it  was  rightly  distributed,  and  it  is  a  crying  shame 
that  in  this  advanced  age  of  ours,  some  should  be  rolling  in 
wealth,  while  others  are   shivering   and    starving. 

''We  consider  the  distribution  of  products  as  the  most  im- 
portant question  placed  before  civilized  communities,  and  that 
its  correct  solution  offers  the  best  prospect  of  increasing  the 
sum  total  of  human  happiness.  From  our  standpoint,  unequal 
distribution  is  a  two-edged  sword  whicli  cuts  both  wavs.  On 
one  side  yon  have  the  wealthy  class,  which  lives  in  idleness 
their  wants  supplied  by  hirelings,  having  no  aim  in  life 
except  to  pass  the  time  which  before  middle  age  drags  heavily 
on  their  hands,  while  all  around  them  lives  another  class 
unable  to  secure  a  little  of  the  leisure  and  some  of  the 
luxuries  which  prevent  the  exercise  of  the  most  valuable 
faculties  of  their  more  wealthy  but  not    more  happy  neighbors. 

"Nor  are  the  relations  between  the  two  classes  satisfactory. 
The  sympathies  of  the  rich  are  wounded  by  the  sight  of  the 
privations  of  the  poor,  while  the  poor  see  with  more  and 
more  envious  eyes  the  ever  increasing  possessions  of  the  rich. 
Thus  the  relations  between  the  rich  and  the  poor  become 
more  strained,  and  in  a  measure  the  steady  increase  of  pro- 
dudion  tends  to  diminish  instead  of  increasing  the  happiness 
of  mankind." 

"You  need  not  enlarge  upon  this  theme,  Mr.  Walter"  I 
replied.  "  You  cannot  frame  a  stronger  indictment  against  the 
evil  effects  of  our  system  of  distribution  than  you  will  hear 
at  any  time  in  the  United  States.  All  who  study  the  social 
problems  realize  the  evil,  foi  it  is  much  worse  now  than  it 
>9as  at  the  time  you  left  our  country.  The  rich  have  gro.vn 
in  number    and   wealth  and  are  drawing   everything  into   their 


12    '  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

hands,  while  tlie  poor,  growing  more  intelligent  nnd  better 
educated,  realize  more  and  more  that  they  do  not  receive 
the    full   reward  of  their   labors. 

"But  what  can  we  do  about  it?  Where  is  the  remedy? 
We  cannot  despoil  the  rich  for  the  benefit  of  tlie  poor,  for 
it  would  destroy  the  accumulation  of  capital  and  diminish  pro- 
ductioH.  The  diffusion  of  capital  in  the  hands  of  so  many 
untrained  and  incompetent  persons  would  soon  destroy  it,  and 
the  final  result  would  be  the  impoverishment  of  the  whole 
country  without  any  improvement  in   the  condition  of  the  poor." 

"Very  true,"  answered  Mr.  Walter.  *'It  is  a  ditiicult  ques- 
tion, but  I  can  tell  you  what  we  have  done,  and  how  we 
have  succeeded  in  keeping  down  this  inequa;lity  between  the 
clasfcies,  and  prevented  the  acquisititm  of  the  lion's  share  of 
the    produced    wealth   by   a   few   privileged    members  of  society. 

"But  let  me  remind  you  of  one  thing.  It  is  not  because 
we  believe  in  perfect  equality,  or  that  all  men  are  entitled 
to  an  equal  share  of  the  production,  that  we  object  to  the 
wide  distinction  which  now  exists  between  the  opulent  rich 
and  the  abject  poor.  It  is  because  the  rich  have  more  than 
they  can  enjoy,  while  the  poor  have  less,  that  we  believe  a 
better  system  of  distribution  will  benefit  all.  This  very  much 
simplifies  the  problem,  for  if  we  can  find  the  source  of  ex- 
cessive wealth,  and  turn  it  into  a  reservoir  for  the  benefit  of 
all   classes,  our  aim  will  be  practically  attained. 

"And  that  is  what  we  have  done.  The  large  accumulation 
•of  wealth  in  private  hands  is  not  the  result  of  the  toil  of  these 
persons,  for  no  man  can  by  dailv  labor  accumulate  more  than 
will  insure  him  a  comfortable  living.  Excessive  private  wealth 
is  the  result  of  social  causes  which  encourage  and  reward  the 
cumulative  power  of   capital. 

"No,  we  knew  well  enough  that  the  diffusion  of  capital 
leads  to  its    destruction,   and   that   all  means    which  would   tend 


THE    OBJECT    IN    VIEW.  13 


lirec-  I . 
;alist,  1/ 
a  lion  ' 


to   its   equal    distrihiition  would  result    in  a  diminution  of  pro- 
duction   and   a  reduction   of  general  comfort. 

"So  the  measures  we  took   led   in  an  entirely  difierent  direc 
tion.     We  made  our  new   Commonwealth   the   great    Capitalist 
and   thus   as  far   as  possible   prevented    the  undue  accuraula 
of  wealth    in    private  hands.  

"There,  Mr.  Balcom,  is  the  whole  secret  of  it.  Co-operation 
on  a  large  t^cale,  not  practised  by  a  few,  for  the  advantage 
of  a  few,  as  it  exists  among  you,  but  carried  by  the  Common- 
wealth, for  the  advantage  of  the  whole  population,  for  the 
rich  as  well  as  for  the  poor,  for  the  women  as  well  as  for 
the    men." 

I  must  confess  I  was  somewhat  disappointed,  for  it  was 
nothing  new  for  me  to  hear  such  doctrines,  and  I  exclaimed: 
"Oh!  then  your  Socioland  is  simply  a  Socialistic  settlement, 
where  the  state  controls  everything.  It  may  suit  you,  but 
I  doubt  if  it  would  suit  me  or  many  of  the  free  and  in- 
dependent  citizens  of   America." 

A   malicious  twinkle  gleamed   in   Mr.     Walter's   eyes. 

"Free  and  independent  indeed!  Then  things  have  wonder- 
fully changed  since  my  time.  Wlien  I  lived  in  the  United 
States,  in  the  days  of  my  youth,  I  recollect  hearing  a  great 
deal  about  the  slavery  of  labor,  and  freedom  in  trade  with 
foreign  countries  was  unknown.  We  had  Sunday  laws  regu- 
lating the  use  of  the  days,  and  marriage  and  divorce  laws 
controlling  private  associations.  Prohibitive  laws  on  liquor 
were  in  force  in  many  states,  while  to  crown  this  free  social 
edifice,   the  Mormon   persecution   was  in   all  its  glory. 

"Eeassure  yourself,  we  have  not  abridged  personal  liberty 
as  much  as  you  have,  and  are  not  Socialists  as  you  understand 
the  term.  All  governments  are  somewhat  Socialists,  some  a 
little  more,  others  a  little  less.  We  are  a  little  more,  and 
have  intrusted   the    Commonwealth    with  the    accumulation  and 


14  THE    FUTUEE    COMMONWEALTH. 

use  of  a  portion  of  our  capital  for  the  benefit  of  our  people, 
while  you  only  intrust  your  government  with  the  spending  of 
such  capital  as  you  raise  by  unequal  taxation,  or  by 
borrowing  from  the  wealthy  class,  thus  increasing  the  burdens 
of  the  producers  by  corupelling  them  to  pay  the  interest  on 
the  money  your  government  spends. 

"Do  you  sometimes  reflect,  Mr.  Balcom,  how  the  different 
enterprises,  created  by  the  growing  needs  of  our  civilization, 
are  divided  in  the  United  States?  Take  the  cities  for  instance. 
Whatever  costs  money  to  maintain,  as  the  streets  and  the 
parks,  the  police  and  the  fire  department,  etc.,  is  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  government,  and  the  people  are  taxed  for 
its  support,  while  those  enterprises  which  offer  opportunities 
to  make  money,  as  the  supply  of  light  and  water,  the  life 
and  fire  insurances,  are  allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
corporations    and  individuals. 

"We  are  so  far  Socialists  as  to  claim  that  the  sweet  ought 
to  go  with  the  sour,  and  to  keep  in  the  possession  of  the 
people  many  valuable  privileges  which  you  give  away  to  men 
who  use  them   for  their    private    benefit. 

"But,"  pulling  out  his  watch,  "I  see   it  is   getting   late,  and 
we   had  better    retire.     To-morrow   we  will  find  plenty  of  time 
1  >       to    talk  before  we  reach   Spencer,   and     I  will    explain   to  you 
at   length   the   changes  we   inaugurated  in    the   public    institu- 
tions of  Socioland." 


I  <* 


SOME    REFLECTIONS.  15 

CHAPTERS  ni. 

f-    ._  SOME    REFLECTIONS. 

I  believe,  my  dear  Harrj^,  that  what  I  will  see  and  hear 
In  tliis  country  will  keep  my  mind  busy,  and  that  I  will  have 
many  new  ideas  to  digest.  I  can  see  already  that  their  way 
of  looking  at  the  social  problems  is  entirely  different  from 
ours.  They  look  them  square  in  the  face,  with  a  clear  con- 
ception of  the  ends  they  are  striving  for,  and  do  not  allow 
themselves  to  stray  hither  and  thither  after  false  issues  as 
we   are   inclined   to  do. 

Mr.  Walter  was  emphatic,  and  his  whole  manner  expressive 
of  quiet  determination,  and  he  succeeded  in  giving  me  a  clear 
impression  of  the  aims  and  methods  of  the  people  of  So- 
cioland. 

After  I  had  gone  to  rest  it  was  a  long  time  before  I  could 
go  to  sleep.  That  which  had  struck  me  the  most  in  our 
conversation  was  Mr.  Walter's  frank  avowal  that  as  a  people 
they  were  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  There  was 
no  false  pretense  of  trying  to  serve  the  Lord,  no  claim  of 
helping  to  promote  morality,  no  holding  aloof  a  beacon  for 
the  benefit  of   other   nations. 

Instead,  these  people  freely  acknowledged  that  they  were 
experimenting  for  themselves,  trying  to  increase  their  own 
happiness,  owing  no  allegiance  except  to  the  laws  of  nature, 
recognizing  no  duty  except  that  of  improving  their  faculties 
and   making   the  most   of  existing  conditions. 

That  was  something  entirely  new  in  my  experience.  I  had, 
of  course,  come  across  young  people  with  more  money  than 
brains,  who  said  they  wanted  a  good  time,  and  were  going  to 
enjoy   all  the  pleasure   that   this    life  can    afford,     but    among 


16  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

the  sensible,  respectable  people  of  my  acquaintance,  the  pursuit 
of  happiness  was  looked  down  upon  as  a  low  standard  of  life^ 
leading  to   selfishness,  and  degrading  in  its   tendencies. 

To  be  sure  I  could  not  tell  what  was  the  aim  in  life  of 
these  respectable  acquaintances  of  mine.  Had  I  asked  them,, 
which  I  never  thought  of  doing,  I  would  probably  have  found 
they  did  not  know  themselves.  I  knew  the  religio'::s  teachings 
on  that  subject,  and  that  we  dre  admonished  to  so  live  as  to 
glorify  God.  But  my  friends  did  not  believe  any  such  doc- 
trines, or  if  they  believed  them,  they  made  no  pretense  to 
put  them  in  practice  in  their  daily  life,  being  of  the  kind 
who  give  their  religion  a  Sunday  airing,  putting  it  carefully 
away  during  the  week  to  preserve  it  from  unseemly  wear,  so 
as  to  have  it  bright  and  shining  on  the  rare  occasions  they 
are  called  upon   to   parade  it  before   the   world. 

As  my  mind  roamed  over  the  list  of  my  acquaintances,  I 
could  think  of  Mr.  B.,  whose  whole  ambition  seemed  to  be 
to  make  money,  of  which  he  had  already  more  than  himself 
or  his  family  could  use.  His  wife  was  a  society  leader,  and 
her  object  in  life  was  to  outshine  her  rivals.  His  sons  were 
certainly  bent  on  pleasure,  but  with  their  expensive  habits, 
effeminate  tastes,  and  shattered  constitutions,  were  not  happy, 
and  were  positive  proof  of  the  fact  that  the  pursuit  of  hap- 
piness and  of  pleasure  are   entirely    different. 

And  our  neighbor  D.,  is  he  living  for  happiness?  If  he  is, 
he  seems  to  make  a  miserable  failure  of  it.  An  overworked,, 
tired-out  man,  without  a  minute  he  can  call  his  own,  follow- 
ing an  incessant  round  of  occupations  which  have  no  interest  for 
him^  he  is  kept  constantly  tramping  in  a  commercial  tread- 
mill for  a  bare  support  for  himself  and  his  large  family.  His 
wife,  whom  1  can  remember  as  the  lively,  sweet  Alice  T.,  is 
now  a  tired,  dissatisfied  woman.  That  couple  had  probably 
in  the   early   days  of  their  marriage  anticipated   a  happy   life, 


SOME    KEFLECTIONS.  17 

but  tho  result  had  not  come  n«)  to  their  fonrl  expectations. 
From  them  my  thonglits  turned  to  the  contemplation  of 
myself.  What  was  I  livinp;  for?  I  really  could  not  answer. 
An  Agnostic,  I  was  not  living  in  view  of  a  future  life,  and 
yet  I  realized  that  I  was  certainly  not  studying  how  to  attain 
the   highest  satisfaction  possible   in    this   world. 

As  I  lellected,  I  could  see  very  clearly  tliat  I  had  no  de- 
finite standard  of  conduct,  :ind  that  the  principles  which 
controlled  my  life  were  of  a  very  composite  nature.  Raised 
outside  the  church,  by  parents  w do  had  outgrown  the  Christian 
beliefs  without  accepting  any  other,  my  moral  education  had 
been  desultory  in  the  extreme.  At  one  time  my  father  railed 
at  the  Christian  dogmas,  or  made  fun  of  their  })uritanical 
ideas  and  sanctimonious  ways.  At  other  times  he  would  im- 
press upon  me  the  beauty  of  the-  Christian  doctrine  of  self- 
renunciation,  quote  the  golden  ^rile,  and  call  Christ  the 
greatest  teacher  that  ever  lived.  Again  he  would  preach  the 
doctrine  of  duty,  how  we  must  respect  our  parents,  obey  the 
laws,  help  our  neighbors,  work  for  humanity.  But  these  moods 
did  not  last  always.  I  was  also  taught  that  I  m.ust  learn  to 
take  care  of  number  one,  fight  for  standing  room,  and  strike 
out   for  myself  if    1    would    not   be   crushed. 

Out  of  such  teachings  the  usual  results  had  followed.  I 
simply  drifted,  one  day  following  tlie  voice  of  duty,  and  the 
next  allowing  the  care  of  self  to  predominate.  The  outcome 
was  not  very  satisfactory,  but  I  could  not  see  my  way  to 
anything  better,  and  I  consoled  myself  wnth  the  thought  that 
I  was  doing  about  as  well  as  the  average  of  those  by  whom 
I  was   surrounded. 

Now  that  my  attention  Avas  called  to  it,  I  could  see  that 
instead  of  having  a  well-defined  aim  in  life,  and  controlling 
my  conduct  in  the  manner  best  calculated  to  attain  it,  I 
allowed   myself  to  be  swayed  by   the   ideas,    beliefs    and    habits 


18  THE    FUTUBE    COMMONWEALTH. 

of  the  people  among  whom  I  lived,  who  themselves  had  no 
accurate  knowledge  of  right  or  wrong,  hut  were  following 
blindly  in   the  footsteps   of  their   superstitious    ancestors. 

Mr.  Walter's  conversation  made  a  profound  impression  upon 
rae,  for  1  was  logical  enough  to  see  that  our  conduct  in  life 
must  be  largely  controlled  by  the  character  of  the  solution 
we  accept  for  the  problem  of  existence,  and  if  practically 
concurred  in  by  a  whole  people,  it  must  have  a  great  influ- 
ence on  their  public  institutions.  A  nation  with  divided  or 
indefinite  aims  would  drift  along,  where  one  with  clear  and 
decided   opinions   would  adopt  efficient   means  to  insure   success. 

As  is  the  seed,  so  must  the  tree  be,  and  if  the  people  of 
Socioland  are  happier  and  more  contented  than  the  people 
of  the  United  States,  then  I  must  conclude  that  they  have 
the  best  institutions. 

I  cogitated  over  these  things  a  long  time,  wondering  if  these 
people  were  really  right,  and  if  the  pursuit  of  happiness  is 
the  only  safe  guide  to  conduct;  and  if  the  old  barriers  erected 
to  restrain  stltishness  were  thrown  down,  who  would  protect 
the  weak  from  the  strong,  or  settle  the  terms  of  compromise 
between  individual  happiness  and  public  welfare  when  they 
came   in    conflict? 

Worn  out  with  thoughts,  I  decided  to  present  these  questions 
for  soluiion  to  Mi.  Walter  the  first  thing  in  the  morning, 
and  after  hearing  what  he  has  to  say  on  the  subject,  to 
wait  and  see  with  my  own  eyes  the  working  of  these  prin- 
ciples in  Socioland.  Theoretical  ideas  must  give  way  before 
pnictical  results.  I  would  try  and  set  aside  iill  prejudice  and 
pre-conceived  beliefs,  and  impartially  observe  the  life  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Of  one  thing  I  am  certain.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  misery 
in  this  world,  and  even  a  slight  increase  of  happiness  is  well 
worth  striving  for. 


A    PHILOSOPHieAL    DIGRESSION.  19 

CHAPTER.  IV. 

A   PHILOSOPHICAL    BIG  BESS  ION. 

Tlie  next  morning  I  took  the  first  opportunity  to  propound 
my  questions  to  Mr.  Walter.  I  told  liim  that  before  he  said 
any  more  about  the  social  clianges  they  liad  instituted,  I 
wanted  to  have  some  exi)Ianations  of  their  doctrine  of  accept- 
ing the  attainment  of  happiness  as  a  standard  of  conduct,  and 
presented  to  him  some  of  the  objections  which  had  arisen  in 
my  mind. 

"My  young  Mend,"  he  answered,  "I  am  glad  to  see  that 
you  appreciate  the  importance  of  this  question.  One  of  the 
first  conditions  of  success  is  the  concentration  of  our  powers 
towards  the  object  we  wish  to  attain,  which  is  only  possible 
if  we  have  a  clear  conception   of  what    we  wish    to   accomplish. 

"If  there  is  so  little  happiness  in  this  world,  it  is  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  not  many  of  the  eflfbrts  of  men  have 
been    directed    towards   it. 

"Some  men  seek  for  pleasure,  others  for  wealth-  or  fame, 
many  are  trying  lo  serve  God  and  Mammon,  others  are  only 
anxious  to  secure  eternal  bliss,  while  all  Christians,  sincere 
or  otherwise,  are  under  the  influence  of  teachings  which  de- 
precate the  pursuit  of  earthly  happiness  as  inimical  to  the 
will   of  God. 

"We,  on  the  other  hand,  believe  in  the  pursuit  of  happiness 
just  as  the  sincere  Christian  believes  in  serving  the  Lord. 
We  believe  that  in  so  doing  we  are  working  in  the  line  of 
progress,  and  that  to  attain  it  we  must  not  only  cultivate 
all  the  best  there  is  in  us,  but  that  it  will  also  induce  us 
to  adopt  those  public  institutions  best  calculated  to  increase 
the  welfare  of  society. 


■20  THE     FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

"I  cannot  explain  to  you  why  we  believe  those  things  except 
by  indulging  in  a  little  philosophical  talk,  something  that  is 
not  always  interesting  to  the  young.  However,  if  you  will 
kindly  listen  to  what  I  want  to  say,  I  will  try  to  be  brief, 
and  possibly   you  may    be    rewarded   for    your   patience. 

"We  believe  in  evolution,  in  development,  in  latent  poten- 
tiality. We  believe  that  until  the  advent  of  man,  development 
followed  what  we  call  the  natural  process,  and  that  under  this 
process,    plants,   animals,   and  men    were   evolved.  '  ■ 

"But  we  further  believe  that  when  this  natural  procesS'  had 
finished  its  work,  the  latent  potentiality  of  development  was 
not  yet  exhausted,  and  that  the  way  was  just  made  ready 
for  a  further  stage  of  development  which  we"  call  artificial, 
— in  contrast  to  the  natural,  although  both  are  according  to 
the  laws  of  nature — which  requires  for  its  accomplishment  a 
highly   organized   and  intelligent   agent. 

"Man,  who  is  the  last  and  highest  product  of  •  natural  evo- 
lution, is  this  agent  calcutated  to  promote  this  artificial  de- 
velopment, and  is  well  fitted  for  the  work  by  his  ever- 
increasing  consciousness  and  intelligence.  Through  consciousness.' 
he'  dreads.ipain  and  enjoys  pleasant  seni^ations,  by  intelligence 
he  recognizes  the  nature  of  his  surroundings,  and  learns  how 
to  control  his  conduct  so  as  to  escape  the  one  and  increase 
the  other. 

"The  law  of  progress,  as  we  understand  it,  is  this:  All 
those  actions  of  men  which  tend  to  advance  artificial  development, 
— or  civilization,  to  give  it  its  popular  name — produce  at  once, 
or  ultimately  through  their  complex  results,  pleasant  sensations, 
and  thus  encourage  men  to  repeat  tiiem;  while  all  those 
actions  of  men  v»hi(ui  tend  to  obstruct  civilization,  produce 
at  once,  or  ultimately  uy  their  complex  results,  unpleasant 
sensations,  and  thus  discourati^e  men  from  repeating  them. 
'Under    this   law  civilization   has    been    carried    and    all    the 


A     PIIILOSOPIIICAI.    DIGEEwSSION.  21 

things  we  enjoy  have  been  evolved,  for  tliis  artificial  develop- 
ment consists  in  combining  in  numberless  diflerent  ways  the 
natural  material,  and  is  the  stage  of  evolution  through 
which    we   are  passing    now. 

"This  boat  which  carries  us  so  t^moothly  and  swiftly,  the 
houRes  ve  live  in,  the  clothes  we  wear,  the  books  we  read, 
are  simply  combinations  called  into  existence  by  the  desire 
of  men  for  pleasant  sensations,  or  in  otlier  words,  by  their 
efforts  to   increase   their    happiness. 

"I  will  not  weary  you  by  enlarging  on  this  theme,  bi:t  1 
will  point  out  to  yon  that  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  for 
our  success  that  we  should  know  if  we  are  working  in  har- 
mony with  the  forces  which  have  brought  the  earth  to  the 
present  t-tage  of  development.  Whether  we  believe  that  pro- 
gress is  controlled  l)y  laws  alone,  or  that  it  is  directed  by 
an  intelligent  power,  the  first  condition  of  success  is  that  we 
should  work  in    harmony    with    the    law  of    progress. 

"But  how  shall  we  know  that  we  are  in  accord  with  the 
march  of  civilization?  Who  shall  decide  when  doctors  disagree? 
Wie  answer  that  if  we  can  find  what  is  the  incentive  to  right 
conduct,  we  can  tell  by  the  result  upon  our  hai)piness  if  our 
actions  are  in  harmony  with  the  advance  of  civilization. 
According  to  the  law  of  progress  as  I  have  stated  it  to  you, 
pleasant  sensations  are  the  motive  power  of  civilization,  and 
thus  we  believe  that  whenever  our  conduct  causes  an  increase 
of  pleasant  sensations,  it  co-ordinates  with  the  advance  o 
civilization,  which  is  equal  to  saying  that  the  increase  of  hap- 
piness  is  the   true  standard  of  conduct. 

''And  it  is  thereon,  Mr.  Balcom,  that  our  philosophy  dififers 
from  that  of  all  other  civilized  nations.  They  have  moral 
codes,  revealed  laws,  ancient  maxims,  but  they  have  no  standard 
of  conduct  by  which  they  can  test  the  correctness  of  their 
actions.     We  also   have  codes,   laws,   and   maxims,  but  they   are 


22  THE    FUTUEE    COMMONWEALTH. 

all  derived  from  a  scientific  standard  wliich  provides  a  correct 
test  for  all  our  actions.  TThis  applies  to  the  Commonwealth  as 
\ve\\  as  to  the  individual.  By  that  standard  we  test  our  public? 
institutions,  and  find  that  those  which  secure  the  most  happi- 
ness are  also  the  most  conducive  to  a  high  state  of  civilization, 
and  bv  that  btandard  each  individual  is  taught  to  test  his  own 
actions  and  soon  learns  by  experience  thai  the  conduct  which 
creates  the  most  pleasant  relations  with  his  surroundings,  is. 
that  which  harmonizes  the  best  with  nature's  laws  and  fosters 
his    truest  happiness. 

"I  do  not  know  if  this  brief  explanation  will  convince  you. 
An  entirely  different  philotiophy  has  held  the  minds  of  Christ- 
ian nations  so  long  that  it  is  difficult  to  weigh  impartially 
the  proofs  of  what  we  advance.  For  two  thousand  years  the 
fear  of  Hell  has  broodied  as  a  dark  pall  over  the  Christian 
world  and  the  whole  study  of  conduct  has  been  turned  in  the 
diiection  of  learning  how  to  serve  the  Lord  and  obey  hi& 
commandments  so  as  to  escape  the  wrath  to  come.  Success 
has  been  branded  as  the  badge  of  wickedness,  and  enjoyments 
shunned  as  the  temptations  of  our  fallen  and  sinful  nature-. 
But  the  time  has  come  when-  better  knowledge  has  dissipated 
our  fears,  and  an  honest  study  of  the  subject  has  taught  us 
that  success  in  the  realm  of  conduct  m^eans  precisely  the  same 
that  it  means  in  the  realm  of  other  pursuits.  It  simply  proves 
that  we  are  acting  in  harmony  with  nature's  laws,  and  we 
have  as  much  right  to  all  the  happiness  we  can  attain,  as 
we  have  to  the  wages  of  labor  faithfully  performed.  Pleasant 
sensations  may  be  called  the  wages  given  by  nature  for  con^- 
duct  which  it  approves,  and  the  larger  the  wages  we  receive, 
the  more  assurance  we  have  that  we  are  moving  in  the 
right  direction. 

"But  whether  I  have  convinced  you  or  not,  I  have  said 
enough   to  give  you  an  outline  of  out    philosophy.     If  it  strikes 


A    PHILOSOPHICAL    DIGRESSION.  23 

you  favorably,  you  can  study  it  at  leisure,  and  follow  il  in  its 
numerous  ramifications.  It  will  bear  the  test  of  investigationj 
I  assure  you,  and  if  once  you  accept  it  for  your  own,  you 
will    never  regret  it. 

"And  now  let  us  pass  to  the  practical  objections  to  its 
adoption  by  the  Commonwealth,  which  you  presented  to  me 
this  morning.  How,  do  you  ask,  is  the  innate  selfishness  of 
niexi  to  be  restrained?  Who  shall  decide  in  case  of  a  conflict 
of  interests? 

"Before  answering  you,  1  miL-ht  put  some  questions  myself. 
What  leads  you  to  believe  that  men  are  so  selfish?  Is  it  not 
because  you  have  heard  so  much  about  their  innate  depravity 
that  you  fail  to  recognize  the  good  there  is  in  them?  Are 
you  sure  the  display  of  selfishness  is  not  the  result  of  the 
social  conditions  in  which  they  have  lived  till  now,  and  that 
competition  is  not  largely  responsible  for  it?  Or  have  you  ever 
experimented  whether  in  a  true  Commonwealth  there  is  so 
much  antagonism   between    j)ul)lic  and    private  interests? 

"We  liMve  more  faith  than  you  in  human  nature,  and  are 
not  afraid  of  a  certain  amount  of  selfishness,  for  we  know  that 
it  underlays  all  attempts  at  improvement.  But  it  must  be 
tempered  by  sympatliy.  They  are  the  centripetal  and  centri- 
fugal forces  of  society,  which  ought  to  balance  each  other, 
and  would  do  so  if  properly    controlled. 

"But  your  system  of  society  fails  to  recognize  the  true 
functions  of  these  forces,  and  selfishness  has  th«  control  of  the 
government,  and  no  power  is  given  to  sympathy  to  restrain 
it.  Selfish  individuals  are  allowed  to  grasp  all  the  valuable 
privileges,  while  sympathetic  person?  waste  their  efforts  in 
vain  attempts  to  palliate  the  suflferings  endured  by  those  who 
are   worsted  in  the   battle   of  life, 

*'We  recognize  the  value  of  both  factors,  and  instead  of 
preaching   against  selfishness  on  one   hand,  and    allowing  it  to 


THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

run  riot  on  the  other,  we  kepp  it  within  proper  limits  by 
public  measures,  demanded  and  supported  by  the  united  sym- 
pathies of  the   community. 

''The  same  sympathetic  feeling  prevents  the  Commonwealth 
from  passing  laws  that  would  antagonize  with  the  welfare  of 
individuals,  and  leads  it  to  encourage  all  its  members  who 
honestly  try  to  improve  their  condition.  But  it  is  also  the 
business  of  the  Commonwealth  to  restrain  those  persons  who 
would  abuse  their  power  to  the  detriment  of  others.  The 
Commonwealth  meddles  as  little  as  possible  with  private  actions, 
but     f  any   person   presumes  on  its    toleration    to  impose   upon 

thers,  it  promptly  interferes  and  puts  a  stop  to  it.  We  try 
tojbe  as  a  large  family  with  many  interests  in  common,  and 
where  there  is  a  sympathetic  b(md  uniting  all  its  members, 
but  if  one  of  the  family  so  conducts  himself  as  to  be  unpleasant 
to  others,  the  head  of  the  family  asserts  his  authority  and 
oblio^es  liim  to  keep  his  proper  place.  The  Commonwealth 
as  a  whole  represents  the  head  of  the  family,  promoting  the 
happiness  of  all  its  members,  instructing  and  helping,  with 
kindness  towards  all,  but  prompt  to  control  when  the  public 
good  requires  it." 

This  my  dear  Harry,  is  in  substance  what  Mr.  Walter  told 
me,  and  I  must  acknowledge  that  it  impressed  me  very  favor- 
ably. Among  the  many  points  in  its  favor  whicli  presented 
themselves  to  me,  1  Avill  only  mention  to  you  two  which 
seem  worthy  of  special  consideration. 

If  he  is  correct,  then  society  is  slowly  progressing  towards 
a  state  of  perfect  harmony,  where  all  factors  will  find  their 
proper  sphere  and  the  highest  civilization  be  attained,  and  we 
can  explain  the  conflicts  through  which  society  passes  now, 
and  has  passed  up  to  this  time,  as  the  educative  stage  of 
mankind,  and  necessary  to  its  full  development.  It  is  the 
social  phase  of  the  struggle  for  existence,   and    will    eventually 


A    PHILOSOPHICAL    DIGKESSION.  25 

result  in    the    survival     of  the     must     satisfactory    public   and 
private   institutions. 

The  other  point  goes  to  confirm  tlie  claim  made  by  Mr. 
Walter  for  the  beneficent  influence  of  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 
His  assertions  brought  to  my  mind  some  facts  that  have  come 
under  my  notice.  You  know  that  I  am  interested  in  farming. 
Now  I  have  often  had  occasion 'to  see  the  influence  of  a 
correct  standard   iipon   the  character   and    the   social  relations. 

You  recollect  Mr.  Daval,  our  neighbor.  He  has  a  high 
standard  of  farminc^,  and  is  successful  in  his  operations.  He 
is  not  soft-hearted,  but  all  the  same  his  men  are  comfortably 
housed  and  are  well  and  punctually  paid;  his  horses  are  of 
the  best  and  receive  all  the  care  they  need,  and  his  stock 
is  well  fed  and  sheltered.  His  relations  with  his  men  are 
always  pleasant;  he  treats  them  well,  and  they  know  it  and 
are   anxious  to  remain    in  his  service. 

Not  far  from  him  lives  Mr.  Tliornwald,  a  much  kinder  man 
and  easy-gcving  in  all  his  business  relations.  But  he  is  a  poor 
farmer  and  everything  about  him  is  in  a  dilapidated  state. 
His  children  leave  him  as  soon  as  they  can  make  their  way 
in  the  world,  his  men  are  ill  paid  and  dissatisfied,  his  horses- 
are  poor  and  his  cattle  half  starved.  All  the  difference  in  results 
comes  from  difi^erence  in  aims.  To  accomplish  his  ends,  Mr. 
Daval  had  to  treat  his  surroundings  right,  even  his  fields 
which    receive  the  best  of  care,  and  give  him   large  returns. 

Call  it  selfishness,  or  call  it  by  any  other  name,  the  result 
has  been  to  create  around  him  a  little  community  where  exist 
the  best  conditions  for  men  and  beasts,  while  life  in  Mr. 
Thornwald's  home  is  barely  supportable. 

These  facts  seem  to  me  to  point  to  an  harmony  in  nature 
which  compels  us,  if  we  would  be  happy,  to  help  improve  the 
conditions  of  our  surroundings,  which  would  go  to  prove  that 
Mr.   Walter's  claims  rest  on   a  solid    foundation. 


26  THE    IFUTUKE    COMMONWEALTH. 

C5HAPTES    V. 

TBE    CHANGES    MADK 


The  morning  was  nearly  spent  before  we  had  exhausted 
the  subject,  and  yet  nothing  had  been  said  about  the  social 
changes  they  had  made  in  Socioknd,  although  that  was  to  be 
the  topic  of  our  conversation,  and  we  were  called  to  dinner 
before  I  could  get  Mr.  Walter  to  tell  me  what  they  had  done. 
At  the  table  the  conversation  became  general,  and  when  we 
left  it,  some  time  elapsed  before  I  could  get  him  disentangled 
from  his  surroundings,  and  seated  in  a  place  where  1  felt  safe 
from   interruption. 

"Now,"  said  I,  sitting  down  comfortaoly  by  his  side,  "you 
have  treated  me  to  a  bit  of  history,  and  to  an  essay  upon 
philosophy,  let  us  come  down  to  Socioland,  and  to  what  you 
have   done  to   ameliorate   its    social   conditions." 

"Certainly^  I  will  tell  you  with  pleas'jre,"  he  answered.  **! 
see  I  have  yet  time  enough  before  we  reach  Spencer.  And 
for  a  beginning  1  will  tell  you  of  one  of  our  first  measure?, 
wiiich  I  believe  would  find  favor  m  all  countries  and  with 
all  classes  of  people.     We    have   abolished  all  taxes.'* 

"What!"  I  exclaimed,  "abolished  all  taxes!  That  is  indeed 
a  practical  step  towards  happiness.  But  how  then  does  your 
government  raise  tlie  money  to  meet  its  necessary  expenses?" 
I  "Well,"  rejoined  Mr.  Walter,  "it  honestly  earns  it  as  every 
I  government  <)U<;i)t  to  do.  Our  Commonwealth  carries  on  busi^ 
ness,  earns  money  by  legitimate  means,  and  spends  it  for  the 
benefit  of  all. 

"The  system  of  taxation,  Mr.  Balcom,  firmly  entrenched  as 
it  is  in  the  habits  of  civilized  society,  is  in  fact  a  relic  of 
barbarism.     It  is  a   remnant  of    the   times     when     the     strong 


THE    CHANGES    MADE.  27 

lived   altogether   on  the   labor  of    the     weak.     Civilization    has 
modified    it,  and    the  iron  hand  is  n)ore    cunningly    masked  by 
the    velvet   glove,   but  the   fact   remains     that     the   producer  is 
made  to   support  all  the   public  burdens.     Of  course  the    Com- 
monwealth must    have  means   to    defray    the    public    expenses, 
but   by   what   logical   argument    can   it    be   maintained  that    if 
it  is  trusted  to  spend  money,  it  cannat  also   be  trusted  to  earn  it? 
The  tj-iith    is  that  when  the  ruling    classes    were  compelled     to 
surrender  a   jX)rtion   of  their   privileges,    and    give    the    people 
a  voice   in  the  control   of  the  government,   they  threw   on  the 
public   all    that    w  hich  cost   money,  and  under  various    pretexts 
kept   in    their  own    hands  all     the     profitable    enterprises.    As 
plundering  tlie  producers   was  then  the  only  known    process  for 
providing  funds   to   carry   on  the  government,    it   was  legalized 
and  made   legitimate    by    acts      of    the    legislatures,    and     legal 
taxation  was  organized.     When  that  proved  insufl^cient,  and  the 
people   refused  to  bear    heavier    taxation,    the    rich,   instead  of 
giving  of  their  surplus  to  supply    the    deficiency,    Ivwt   t..    the 
government  the  money  they  hml   accumnlatecf,  mid  thus  created 
for    their  own   benefit  a  perpetual   lien  on    the    production     of 
the   country.     To  you,  who  are  used   to  that  system,  it  probably 
seems   perfectly   right   and    proper,  but   to  us  who  have  a  much 
better  way   to    provide  for  public  needs,  we  look  upon  taxation 
as  an    unjust   and  needless  imposition. 

"But  the  release  from  taxation  is  not  the  only  advantage 
which  has  resulted  to  the  country  from  the  management  of 
business   enterprises  by  the    Commonwealth. 

"We  spoke  yesterday  of  the  growing  evM  of  large  fortunes. 
Our  system  has  cut  ofi"  the  evil  at  its  roots.  Excessive  fortunes 
are  not  the  result  of  individual  economy  or  pprsistent  labor- 
they  are  the  result  of  the  cumulative  power  of  capital.  If  you 
inquire  into  the  origin  of  the  vast  fortunes  which  exist  in 
your  country,  you  will  find   that   most    of  them    are    due    to 


28  THE    FUTUEE    COMMONWEALTH. 

the  investments  of  profits  made  in  certain  lines  of  businesSy 
carried  for  the  benefit  of  the  community.  We  readily  ac- 
knowledge the  need  of  those  services,  we  know  that  under  your 
system  they  could  not  be  performed  unless  some  persons  had 
saved,  often  by  great  denial,  the  needed  capital;  nof  do  we 
believe  that  those  services  are  over-paid.  But  we  claim  that 
the  field  of  activity  they  opened  was  so  vast  that  it  enabled 
those  persons  to  accumulate  such  large  fortunes  as  to  endanger 
the  welfare   of  the  community. 

"Those  are  the  lines  of  business  we  decided  to  withdraw 
from  the  field  of  competition,  and  to  place  in  the  hands  of 
the  Commonwealth,  to  be  prosecuted    for  the  benefit   of  all. 

"That  is  the  first  change  we  have  made  in  our  internal  eco" 
tiomy.  Our  Commonwealth,  instead  of  levying  taxes  from  its 
citizens,  carries  on  all  the  most  extensive  and  profitable  enter- 
prises of  the  country,  with  the  avowed  object  of  making 
money  to    be  spent  for    the  good  of  the   whole     people. 

"Thus,   Mr.   Balcom,  we  have  accomplished   what  I   told   you 

I  was  our   aim.     We  tap  the  Source  of  Excessive    Wealth,  and  turn 

\j,t  into  a  Reservoir  for  the  benefit  of  all  classes." 
\  ^  Mr.  Walter's  information  was  interesting,  for  the  changes 
he  was  describing  seemed  practical  and  well  worthy  of  consider- 
ation. So  1  asked  hira  to  tell  me  which  were  the  lines  of 
business  the  Commonwealth  had  kept  in  its  own  hands,  and 
how  they    were   managed  to  avoid   peculation  and   waste. 

"My  young  friend,"  he  answered,  'Hhe  question  of  the  ma- 
nagement of  public  aflfairs  is  too  large  for  us  to  go  into  now 
and  yoti'  will  be  able  to  study  it  carefully  while  you  stay  in 
Socioland.  But  as  to  the  lines  of  business  we  place  in  the 
care   of  the  Commonwealth,     I  can     state   in    broad   terms   that 

jit.,  is  those  which 'require  large   capital,  and  return   through  the 

I  magnitude  of  their   operations   large    profits.     For    the   present 
the  Commonwealth  controls  the   Wholesale   Trade,    the    Trans- 


THE    CHANGES    MADE.  29 

portation  o''  IjCtters,  Parcels,  Merchandise,  and  Persons,  the 
Telegraph  and  Telephone,  the  Banks,  the  Life  and  Fire  In- 
surances, the  Street  Railways,  the  Supply  of  Lights  and  Water, 
the  Working   of  the   Mines  anr.  a   portion  of  the   Manufactures. 

"These,  as  you  will  see,  are  distributed  between  the  Common- 
wealth and  the  several  Townships,  so  as  to  take  advantage 
•of  the  best  localities,  and  to  secure  the  most  efficient  manage- 
ment. Each  case  is  decided  on  its  own  merit<i,  with  due  regard 
to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  our  whole  people.  We  try 
to  prevent  the  waste  of  competition,  and  the  evils  of  undue 
personal  accumulation  of  wealth,  and  to  make  our  Common- 
wealth rich  and  prosperous  so  that  it  can  reduce  the  expenses 
of  living,  increase  the  comfort  of  all  its  citizens,  and  protect 
the  ^>oor  and  disinherited  against     want   and   suffering. 

"But  let  us  pass  on  to  other  changes  we  have  made.  Let 
me   tell  you   about  our   laws  in  regard  to  land." 

I  signified  my  desire  to  hear  whatever  he  thought  would 
interest  me,   and    Mr.   Walter  continued. 

"Our  Commonwealth  never  admitted  the  right  of  individual 
ownership  in  land,  and  holds  it  in  trust  for  the  whole  people. 
For  purposes  of  improvement  it  sells  leases,  equal  for  practical 
purposes  to  complete  ownership.  These  leases  can  only  be 
cancelled  if  the  public  good  requires  it,  and  the  tenant  must 
be  paid  for  actual  damages  inflicted  upon  him.  No  rent  is 
paid,  and  those  leases  can  be  divided,  bought  and  sold,  but  a 
limit  has  been  placed  upon  the  number  of  acies  that  each 
person  can  get  under  his  control.  By  this  policy,  the  Com- 
monwealth has  retained  in  its  possession  all  the  best  business 
locations,  or  can  reclaim  them  at  reasonable  rates.  No  pro- 
perty can  be  held  for  speculation,  nor  can  any  man  or  set 
of  men  levy  exorbitant  tolls  in  the  shape  of  rents  because 
they  are  the  lucky  owners  of  a  piece  of  land  so  situated  as  to  be 
indispensable  to  the  efficient  transaction  of  business. 


so  THE    FUTUKE    COMMONWEALTIL. 

"We  liold  that  the  land  is  common  property,  but  we  re-- 
cognize  also  that  its  division  among  the  people  leads  to  a  higher 
development  and  to  better  culture.  We  appreciate  upon  cha- 
racter the  good  efllects  of  personal  enterprise  and  independent 
management,  provided  they  are  kept  within  proper  limits.  It 
is  only  when  private  enterprise  overshadows  and  antagonizes 
public  welfare  that  we  seek  to  circumscribe  it.  This  land 
policy  of  ours  has  been  a  success  so  far.  It  has  stopped 
speculation  in  land,  it  has  prevented  the  preraiiture  settle- 
ment of  distant  portions  of  our  territory,  and  yet  those  of  us 
who  wanted  to  make  a  living  by  agriculture  have  been  able 
to   get   possession  of  all   they  could   cultivate." 

"I  think  I  understand  the  trend  of  your  public  policy,"  I 
remarked,  when  Mr.  Walter  ceased  speaking.  "You  use  the 
power  of  the  Commonwealth  to  regulate  the  distribution  of 
wealth.  In  the  United  States,  we  expect  the  government  to 
insure  political  equality,  while  you  add  to  the  functions  of 
yours  the  task  of  maintaining  social  equality.  With  this  object 
in  view,  the  means  you  use  must  exert  a  very  good  influence 
in   that   direction." 

"Indeed  you  are  correct,  my  dear  Sir,  and  to  insure  the 
success  of  our  scheme,  we  have  made  some  radical  changes  in, 
the   methods   of  educating  our    young    people. 

"We  claim  that  equal  advantages  in  education  are  necessary 
to  maintain  equal  chances  of  success  in  society.  Furthermore 
we  claim  that  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  educate  and 
train   the   physical  as   well  as  the  mental  faculties. 

"The  education  of  the  mind,  the  training  of  the  intellect,, 
can  of  course  best  be  accomplished  in  the  schools,  and  except 
that  we  have  reduced  the  number  of  hours  of  study,  and 
pay  m&re  attention  to  recreation,  there  is  but  little  difference 
between  our  schools  and  yours.  The  great  difference  is  in  the 
industrial   training  of  the   youths  of  both  sexes.  The  numerous 


^HE    CHANGES    MADE.  ^1 

business  enterprises   carried  on   l»y  tlie  Commonwealth    and   the 
"Townships   offer   splendid  opportunities   for    practical    training, 
and  all  our  young  people  are   compelled    to   serve   a  six   vearsL 
term  of  apprenticeship  to  the    state." 

"it  seems  to  me,"  I  rejoined,  "that  it  is  a  very  arbitrary 
measure,  and  one  that  must  create  a  great  deal  of  dissatisfaction." 

"It  seems  so  to  you,"  answered  Mr.  AValter,  "because  you 
are  thinking  of  its  application  under  the  old  conditions,  but 
the  public  apprentice  system  is  very  popular  with  us.  You 
will  stay  lon^  enough  mnong  us  to  see  how  our  youths  are 
treated  and  understand  why  it  is  popular  with  them,  and  I 
can  tell   you   why   it    is  popular   with    the   grown    people  ako. 

"By  entrusting  to  our  youths  a  large  portion  of  Uie  work 
connected  with  the  business  of  the  Commonwealth,  we  have 
opened  to  them  an  extensive  industrial  school,  where  there  is 
an  almost  unlimited  (lidice  of  occupations,  and  by  requiring 
of  them  only  a  ft  w  hours  of  actual  work,  we  give  them  ample 
time  and  facilities  to  keep  on  with  their  studies.  Our  system 
is  far  superior  to  your  industrial  schools,  for  our  boys  do  not 
play  with  tools  among  other  boys,  but  do  real  work  alongside 
of  men,  under  conditions  which  train  the  mind  to  face  all 
kinds  of  emergencies,  and  compel  them  to  exercise  all  the 
faculties  they  may  possess.  One  yeai  in  an  industrial  school 
may  teach  a  boy  how  to  saw  to  a  mark  or  plane  a  board 
straight,  and  may  teach  him  many  of  the  technicalid-es  of  his 
profession,  but  one  year  of  apprenticeship  will  teach  him  all 
that  and    much   more. 

"So  we  believe  in  our  apprentice  system  because  it  gives 
our  youths  the  best  training  under  the  best  possible  conditions; 
we  believe  in  it  because  it  considerably  reduces  public  expenses, 
and  thus  increases  public  wealth;  we  believe  in  it  because  it 
has  had  a  moral  result  which  has  been  satisfactory  beyond 
our  expectations. 


32  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

"There  is  always  a  tendency  among  the  children  of  the  man 
who  are  the  most  puccessful,  to  believe  that  idleness  and  lux- 
ury are  badges  of  superiority,  and  that  they  are  made  of 
different  and  better  clay  than  those  persons  who  are  raised  in 
the  lower  walks  of  life.  Six  years  of  apprenticeship,  subject 
to  uniform  rules,  and  where  merit  is  the  only  factor  in  pro- 
motion,  generally   takes  such  ideas   out  of  their  heads, 

''Those,  Mr.  Balcom,  are  the  changes  we  have  made  in  the 
public  policy  of  Socioland,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  when 
you  see  the  results,  you  will  acknowledge  that  we  have  suc- 
ceeded, and  that  our  people  have  much  better  facilities  for  the 
pursuit  of  happiness  than   can   be  found  anywhere  else. 

"By  making  our  Commonwealth  a  co-operative  business 
concern,  we  have  made  it  rich  and  placed  all  its  citizens 
above  want.  We  have  entirely  abolished  overgrown  fortunes 
and  greatly  diminished  the  accumulation  of  capital  in  private 
hands',  and  yet  we  have  retained  sufficient  fields  of  activity  for 
private  enterprises,  which  being  relieved  from  the  pressure  of 
monopolistic  competition,  give  to  their  operators  agreeable 
occupation   and   full  reward  for  their  labor. 

"By  retaining  in  the   hands  of  the     Commonwealth   the   con- 
trol of  the  land,   we  have  prevented  its  unjust  distribution  and  ' 
sinful  waste,  and  yet  we   have    secured   to     all   our    citizens   a 
fair  chance   to  its  acquisition. 

"By  our  system  of  public  apprenticeship  we  are  training 
our  youths  to  useful  occupations,  developing  their  bodies  as 
well  as  their  minds,  and  giving  them  a  just  appreciation  of 
the  conditions  of  life.  It  brings  all  classes  together  and  equa- 
lizes their  chances,  and  is  without  doubt  the  measure  that 
^will  have  the  most  far-reaching   effects." 

We  were  nearing  Spencer,  and    I    thanked    Mr.  Walter   for 
■  his  kindness  to  me,   and  the   interest  he  had  manifested  in  my 
desire  to  investigate. 


AT    THE    HOTEL.  33 

"You  ore  welcome  indeed,"  he  rejoined.  "It  is  a  pleasure  to 
give  information  where  it  is  so  thoroughly  appreciated.  But 
we  are  nearly  at  the  landing,  and  as  I  live  in  Spencer  I 
hope  to  see  you  again  and  have  naore  conversation  with  you, 
and  that  you  will    soon   learn   to  know    us  and  like  us. 

"Where  do  you  intend  to  stay  while  in  the  city?  You  do 
not  know.  Well,  I  v.ouM  ndvise  you  to'  stop  at  one  of  the 
hotels  kept  l)y  the  city,  near  the  wharves  and  dep<^ts,  for  the 
convenience  of  travellers.  Y''ou  will  be  comfortable  and  the 
charges  are  very  moderate.  It  will  be  more  interesting  than, 
if  you  stop  at  a  private  boarding  house  in  tlie  center  of  the 
city,  for  it  will  be  your  first  introduction  to  one  of  our  public 
institutions." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

AT    THE    HOTEL. 

Spencer  is  the  commercial  center  of  Socioland,  and  is  situated 
at  the  lower  end  of  lake  Norlay.  It  is  the  gateway  of 
communication  with  the  civilized  world.  Now*  a  city  of  50,000 
inhabitants,  it  has  a  great  future  before  it,  and  the  character- 
istic American  thought  came  to  my  mind  of  the  fine  field 
it  would  ofier  for  speculation,  were  it  not  prevented  by  the 
land  policy  of  the  country. 

We  steamed  slowly  into  port,  and  when  we  landed  at  the 
wharf,  I  looked  around  for  some  one  to  takje  me  to  the  hoteL 
Mr.  Walter  was  busy,  yet  found  the  time  to  poind  out  an 
official  whose  functions,  he  said,  were  to  give  information  to 
travellers,   and  help  them  on   their    way.     This  gentleman,    for 


B4  THE    FUTUEE    COMMONWEALTH. 

tindoubtedly  he  was  one  in  appearance  and  demeanor,  aske^ 
me  where  I  wanted  to  go,  and  advised  me  to  stop  at  the 
nearest  Cilf  hotel,  which  was  only  a  stone's  throw  from  the 
landing.  He  also  pointed  to  me  the  government  baggage  agent, 
a  blight  youlig  man  in  uniform,  who  took  the  number  of  my 
check  and  the  address  to  which  I  wanted  my  trunk  sent,  and 
after  he  had  checked  off  on  my  baggage  card  the  amount  due 
for  city  transportation,   I  was   ready  to   go   on  ray  way. 

And  here  I  mrty  as  well  explain  to  you  that  in  Socioland 
there  are  no  ticket  offices  at  the  railroad  depots  or  steamboat 
landings.  Travelling  cards  are  bought  \t\  the  stores,  good  for 
a  given  number  of  miles.  These  cards  are  good  on  all  roads 
or  boats,  in  all  directions  and  at  all  times.  The  conductor 
checks  off  tin;  number  of  miles  travelled,  and  when  the  card 
is  used,  a  new  one  is  bought.  There  are  no  excursion  or  return 
tickets,  and  the  card  does  not  give  free  transportation  of  baggage. 
Batrgage  cards  are  botigiit  in  the  same  way,  good  fov  trans- 
portation on  the  cars  or  bouts,  and  also  for  transfer  from 
the  residences  to  the  depots.  The  pri'-e  of  all  these  cards  is 
exceedingly  low,  according  to  our  standa"rd,  but  with  the  ex- 
ceptional facilities  posses-ied-,  l>y  the  Commonwealth,  and  the 
concentration  of  all  the  business  in  its  hands,  it  is  claimed 
the  profit  is  quite  large.  The  freight  business  is  also  managed 
differently  from  ours.  All  goods  must  be  prepaid,  stamps 
being  used  for  that  purpose.  Tiiese  changes  d<»  away  with 
some  of  the  complications  which  increase  the  expenses  in  our 
country,  but  are  only  possible  where  all  the  means  of  trans- 
portation are  concentrated    in  one  hand. 

I  find,  my  dear  Harry,  that  1  am  not  making  much  progress 
in  my  journey,  but  I  must  manage  to  take  you  as  far  as 
the  hotel,  which  proved  to  be  a  large  brick  building  of  plain 
appearance,  with  City  Hotel  No.  3,  written  on  the  facade 
and  over  the  entrance.     Its   interior   did  not     differ  materially 


AT    THE    HOTEL.  35 

from   our  large   hotels;  probably  as  much  comfort,  but  less  luxury. 
At  the   clerk's  desk  stood   a  bright  young   woman,  who   after 
I   registered,    had   me   shown    to    a     room    where   I    proceeded 
to  make  myself  at  home. 

That  which  struck  me  at  once,  as  we  made  our  way  to  the 
upper  regions  where  my  room  was  located,  was  the  number 
of  young  people  who  seemed  to  be  busy  in  the  house,  and 
whom  1  c-oncluded  were  some  of  the  apprentices  Mr.  Waller 
had  told  me  of.  Both  boys  and  girls  wore  plain  uniforms,  and 
were  evidently  engaged  in  'doing  the  regular   housework. 

The  afternoon  was  well  advanced  when  we  reached  Spencer 
and  supper  was  ready  by  the  time  1  had  attended  to  my  toilet! 
At  the  table,  where  a  goodly  number  of  guests  were  seated 
we  were  waited  on  by  these  youths  who  performed  their  task 
with  due  courtesy,  but  without  servility.  The  service  was 
under  the  supervision  of  an  elderly  lady,  who  showed  the  guests 
to    their  places,  and  saw  that   their  wants  were     provided  for. 

After  supper,  I  strolled  a  while  in  the  city,  and  when  I 
returned  to  the  Jiotel,  madt^  my  way  to  the  parlor,  where  I 
found,  beside*  many  of  the  guests,  quite  a  number  of  young 
people  in  uniform,  evidently  the  attendants  of  the  house. 
These  youths  were  not  busy  at  work,  but  were  engaged  in 
social  pastimes,  and   werp    treated  on  terms  of  social  equality. 

At  the  piano,  a  middle-aged  gentleman  and  a  pretty  brunette 
were  singing,  while  I  Eecognized  in  hhe  girl  who  plaj'ed  the 
accompaniment,  one  of  our  waiters  at  the  table.  The  young 
man  who  had  showed  me  to  my  room  was  one  of  a  party 
who  were  playing  cards,  while  many  groups  engaged  in  con- 
versation were  scattered  in  the  room.  Some  of  the  ladies  had 
their  work,  and  there  seemed  to  be  very  little  formality,  but 
plenty   of  mirth  and  good   nature. 

I  quietly  took  a  chair  and  watched  the  novel  scene,  won- 
dering what  our  United  States  friends  would  say  if  the  menials 


36  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

of  an  American  hotel  should  invade  the  parlor  and  make 
themselves  at  home  therein.  But  I  soon  reflected  that  these 
youths  were  not  menialn,  us  we  understand  the  term,  but  that 
they  were  simply  passing  a  term  of  apprenticeship  which 
would  fit  t'lem  fo"  t'r^  different  duties  of  life,  and  that  there 
was  nothing  more  degrading  in  theii  work  than  there  is  in 
waiting  upon  customers  in  a  store,  or  in  working  in  a  milli- 
nery   establishment 

As  I  sat  thei-e,  looking  and  thinking,  a  lady  entered  the 
toom,  and  probably  recognizing  me  as  a  stranger,  and  noticing 
my  lonely  position,  came  towards  me  and  opened  the  conver- 
sation by  a  c.isual  remark  about  the  singers  at  the  piano.  As 
ray  principal  o))ie^.t  here  is  to  get  all  the  information  I  can, 
I  managed  ti»  turn  the  conversation  towards  their  peculiar 
method  of  treating  the  employees  of  the  house,  and  remarked 
that  I  was  a  stranger  in  the  land,  and  not  used  to  their  ways. 

"Yes,*'  said  the  lady,  "it  must  be  somewhat  unexpected  to 
find  the  help  of  the  establishment  enjoying  themselves  in  the 
parlor,   and   must  be  a  shock    to  your   ideas  of  social  position." 

'•'It  is  indeed  unexpected,"  I  answered,  ''and  at  first  it  may 
have  seemed  undesirable,  but  t  can  see  that  these  young  people 
are  sufficiently  educated  to  be  at  home  everywhere.  No,  what 
surprises  me  is,  that  they  should  be  spared  from  their  occupa-^ 
tions,  and  I  wonder  how  the  work  can  be  attended  to  and 
tliese  boys  and  girls  enjoy  themselves    at  the  same  time." 

"I  understand  that  very  well,"  she  replied,  "for  our  ways 
are  in  some  respects  so  difFeient  from  yours,  that  many  things 
you  will  see  here  must  naturally  surprise  you.  We  are  able 
to  give  our  youtlis  plenty  of  time  for  recreation  on  account 
of  the   difference  in   our  social  system. 

"In  your  country^  a  portion  of  the  population  has  managed 
to  throw  the  burden  of  labor  on  othei*s,  so  that  those  on 
whom  the   burden    has    fallen    have     very    little    leisure    time. 


AT    THE    HOTEL.  B7 

With  n«  it  is  entirely  different.  All  our  young  people  must 
do  their  share  of  work,  and  it  is  diflicult  for  the  adult  to  live 
in    idleness    here. 

"Do  you  see  that  young  girl,"  turning  and  pointing  toward 
another  part  of  the  room,  "talking  to  that  bright-faced  boy? 
She  is  the  daughter  of  one  of  our  best  men  in  the  town,  a 
sensible,  practical,  business  girl,  with  the  same  qualities  which 
have  made  her  father  a  success''nl  man  among  us.  With  his 
business  abilities,  he  would  in  your  country  have  accumulated 
great  wealth,  and  his  daughter  would  have  been  educated  to 
fill  a  leading  place  in  society.  The  result  would  have  been 
that  she  need  never  have  done  any  work,  and  until  she  married 
would  have  led  a  useless  life,  supported  by  the  exertions  of 
the  laboring  poor.  Besides  the  waste  of  her  own  time,  she 
would  have  required  the  services  of  a  waiting  maid  to  attend 
to  her  artificial  wants.  Nor  would  she  have  been  happier,  for 
she  is  born  for  better  things. 

"Her  life  here  has  been  entirely  different.  Her  father  has 
used  his  abilities  for  the  benefit  of  the  Commonwealth;  as 
■one  of  our  Managers  he  has  earned  the  trust  and  confidence 
of  all  who  know  him,  and  is  in  easy  circumstances  and  no 
more.  His  daughter  has  iiad  to  do  her  share  of  the  public 
work  ever  since  she  was  fourteen,  and  thus  has  relieved  of  its 
extra  burden  some  of  her  less  fortunate  sisters.  As  she  learned 
the  work,  and  her  good  qualities  showed  themselves,  she  has 
steadily  advanced,  and  now  fills  a  position  of  trust  in  this  house. 
"Thus  you  see  that  as  we  all  have  to  do  our  share,  none 
have  to  work  very  long  or  very  hard,  and  we  can  give  our 
young  people  time  to  rest,  or  study,  or  enjoy  themselves,  as 
they  prefer.  We  use  as  little  compulsion  as  possible  in  Socio- 
land,  but  we  provide  ample  facilities  for  study,  and  are 
anxious  to  encourage  all  that  tends  to  the  intellectual  develop- 
ment of  our  children. 


S8  THE    FUTURE    COM  MO:^  WEALTH.. 

"You  seem  to  be  quite  a  believer  in  the  public  apprentice- 
system,"  I  remarked.  ''It  is  ))l(^j'sant  to  find  that  the  people 
here  are  satisfied  with  their  institiitions.  A  contented  people 
is   something  very  unusual   nowadays." 

*'And  it  ought  to  be,"  the  lady  rejoined,  ''for  all  other- 
nations  are  cramped  by  institutions  they  have  outgrown,  and 
no  longer  fit  the  intellectual  tstjiture  they  have  reached.  Here 
we  are  always  ready  to  change  whenever  we  have  cause  for 
dissatisfaction. 

"But  so  far  as  our  apprentice  system  is  concerned,  it  is 
undoubtedly  a  great  success.  It  greatly  facilitates  public  busi- 
ness, provides  pleasant  employment  for  the  young,  and  best  of 
all,  has  proved  a  great  educator,  by  teaching  those  who  would 
be  idle  how  to  work,  and  by  elevating  the  lower  classes  and 
educating  them  to  hold  their  places  among  people  of  taste 
and  culture. 

"The  girl  I  ])ointed  out  to  you  i  is  an  example  of  the  first 
now  if  you  will  look  in  the  direction  of  this  window,  I  will 
show  you  an  example  of  the  other.  That  young  man  you  see 
reading  there  is  an  orphan.  His  father,  a  common  laborer^ 
died  young,  leaving  his  family  destitute,  fie  carue  here  from 
the  old  country  and  was  a  worthy  man,  but  with  little  edu- 
cation. Under  these  conditions,  in  your  country  this  boy 
would  have  had  to  go  to  work  to  help  his  mother,  and  would 
have  remained  an  uneducated  drudge  aU  his  life.  With  us, 
his  mother  was  provided  with  a  good  place  in  one  of  the  Town 
Laundries,  where  she  receives  liberal  wages  for  short  hours  of 
labor,  and  thus  was  enabled  to  easily  raise  her  family,  while 
our  apprentice  system  has  given  her  boy  an  equal  chance  in 
the  world  with  more  favored  children.  He  has  been  with  us 
two  years,  and  it  has  made  a  wonderful  difference  in  him; 
his  manner  has  greatly  improved  and  he  is  getting  interested 
in  intellectual   recreations. 


AT    THE    HOTEL.  39 

"But  you  see  he  has  had  opportunities  which  our  system 
nlone  could  give  him,  for  it  has  brought  him  in  close  contact 
with  t)iii<')i  hotter  educated  persons  than  he  was  in  the  habit 
of  associating   with. 

"The  a(;tual  results  of  our  system  have  neen  a  steady  gain  in 
deportment  and  intelligence,  and  you  will  find  no  better  be- 
liaved  peoj)le  than  the  inhabitants  of  Socioland,  which  is  due 
to   the    training   they   receive  in    their    youth. 

"But  have' We  not  talked  long  enough  on  serious  subjects,  and 
would  you  not  like  to  join  us  in  some  of  the  recreations  of 
the  evening?  We  have  very  pleasant  times,  I  assiire  you, 
and  it  is  largely  due  to  the  presence  of  our  young  people,  for 
they  make  the  charm  of  our  social  gatherings.  Our  travellers 
come  and  our  travellers  go,  but  our  boys  and  girls  are  here 
all  the  time,  realy  lo  amu^eand  be  amused.  By  freely  mixing 
together  we  learn  to  know  all  about  'ihem.  They  tell  us 
about  their  early  lives,  they  confide  to  us  their  plans,  their 
hopes,  their  dreams,  eiiid  we  give  them'  the  benefit  o  our 
experience,    and  try  to   make  their   life   pleasant. 

"But  come,  let  me  introduce  you  to  Miss  Bell,  the  lady 
I  pointed  out  to  you.  You  will  enjoy  her  society,  I  believe, 
and  when  you  get  acquainted  here,  you  will  find  that  the 
time  passes   quite  pleasantly." 

1  was  easily  persuaded,  and  was  soon  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion, then  joined  in  some  games,  and  when  1  retired  for  the 
-night,  I  thoroughly  appreciated  the  friendly  spirit  which  had 
«o  quickly   made  me  feel  at  home  among  my  new  surroundings. 


^0  THE     FUTUEE    COMMONWEALTH. 

CHAPTER    VIL 

PUBLIC    MANulOEMENl\ 

The  lady  with  whom  I  had  the  conversation  I  reported  to- 
you,  proved  to  be  Mrs.  Wilton,  wife  of  the  Manager  of  the 
hotel.  1  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Wilton  the  next  day, 
and  had  some  interesting  talks  AYith  him  upon  their  methods 
of  managing  public   business. 

Mr.  Wilton  is  an  American,  while  his  wife  is  a  native  of 
Socloland.  He  is  about  fifty  years  of  age,  and  cm  me  here 
about  fifteen  years  ago,  having  been  in  business  in  Cincinnati 
before   he    came  to   Spencer. 

"Mr.  Balcora,"  said  he,^  "I  understand  that  you  should  be 
surprised  at  our  ways,  for  they  are  quite  different  from  those 
of  the  United  Slates.  I  was  surprised  myself  when  1  first 
came,  and  wondered  how  business  could  be  done  in  such  easy- 
going ways.  For  we  all  take  life  easy  here,  and  no  one  has 
to  hurrj  out  early  in  the  morning  or  work  till  late  at  night. 
But  understand  me,  I  am  speaking  of  productive  labor.  Of 
course  we  do  not  idle  away  such  a  large  portion  of  our  time^ 
but  we  spend  it  in  what  we  might  call  recreation,  in  so  far 
that  we  all  are  at  liberty  to  follow  the  dictates  o^  our  own 
sweet  will,  and  use  our  time  as  we  like  best.  But  there  is 
method  in  our  madness,  and  if  we  have  short  hours  of  labor, 
we  make  good  use  of  them,  and  if  none  work  very  hard  or 
very  long,  all  have  to  follow  rome  useful  occupation  part  of 
their    time. 

"Do  you  know  that  one  of  the  most  striking  results  of  the 
policy  of  this  people — of  our  policy,  I  might  say,  for  I  am 
entirely  one  of  them — has  been  to  so  reduce  the  supply  of 
labor  for   domestic  services,  that  there   are  many    things  which 


PUBLIC    MANAGEMENT.  41 

It  is  much  easier  to  do  for  onrselves  t)i;m  to  hire  done,  and 
there  are  very  few  persons  h(  r<*  who  are  not  obliged  to  wait 
x)n  themselves  more  or  less.  You  see,  when  our  young  people 
have  flni^^lled  their  term  of  'apprenticeship,  they  all  have  a 
complete  knowledge  of  some  lucrative  trade,  and  but  few  are 
fonnd  willing  to  do  menial  labor.  This  fact,  added  to  the 
difficulty,  if  not  the  impossibility,  of  accumulating  large  for- 
tunes, preventr,  the  formation  of  a  class  who  can  command 
the  services  of  others,  and  tluis  withdraws  them  from  the  field 
of  production.  Having  no  drones  to  support,  we  can  accom- 
plish much  more,  and  stil)  be  able  to  considerably  reduce 
the    number   of  hours   of  hibor. 

"But  excuse  me,  this  was  not  the  subjc^ct  we  were  to  talk 
about.  You  wished  nu-  to  explain  to  you  the  way  in  which 
we   manage   public   business." 

''Yes,  it  is  precisely  what  I  want  to  know,"  I  answered^ 
"With  us  th-?  assertion  is  usually  made,  with  more  or  less 
truth,  that  whatever  the  government  undertakes  costs  more 
.than  what  is  done  by  private  managenien  ,  and  that  the 
assumption  of  business  by  the  state  open;?  the  door  wide  to 
mismanagement  and  corruption." 

"Well,  my  dear  Sir,"  Mr.  Wilton  replied,  "1  have  not  been 
here  so  long  but  what  I  can  recollect  how  things  went  in 
the  United  States,  and  probably  there  is  a  foundation  for  the 
opinion  you  now  express,  although  it  may  be  fostered  by  those 
who  have  a  direct  interest  in  preventing  the  government  from 
extending    its  operations. 

"But  there  is  a  fundamental  difference  between  your  govern- 
ment and  ours.  Yours  is  a  Republic,  established  to  maintain 
civil  and  political  rights.  Ours  is  a  Commonwealth,  organized 
to  secure  those  rights,  and  besides,  to  manage  public  business 
for  public  benefit, 

"The   founders   of  your  Republic   had  no     idea    of     national 


42  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

co-opefation  for  business  purposes,  for  post  offices,  railroads^ 
street-cars,  fhe  lighting  of  streets,  etc.,  was  then  nnknowtj) 
and  when  yoirr  Kepublic  tries  to  manage  business  enterprisesj 
it  tries  to  accomplish  something  for  which  it  has  never  been 
organized, 

"A  republican  government  is  in  theory  a  part  of  the  people, 
but  in  practice  is  s  ^netli'in'r  above  it.  You  elect  your  repre- 
Sentatives  to  make  your  laws,  and  your  officers  to  execute 
them,  and  so  long  as  they  hold  their  niiHndates,  they  are  your 
masters   as   much   as  if  they    had    been   appointed   ^>y  a  king. 

"There  is  no  inducement  to  abuse  that  power  so  far  as  civil 
rights  are  concerned,  hut  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  for 
tbe  men  you  elect  to  find  out  that  a  representative  govern* 
ment  can  grant,  against  the  will  of  the  people,  lucrative  places, 
and  leL'islate  men  into  valuable  positions  where  they  can  be 
taken  care  of  out  of  the  proceeds  of  taxation.  All  financial 
places  of  trnst  are  in  the  gift  of  political  officers,  and  are 
disposed  of  as  rewards  for  personal  services.  Men  thus  appointed, 
cannot  be  expected  to  be  competent  or  trustworthy,  and  all 
kinds  of  safeguards  have  to  be  thrown  around  them  to  keep 
them  'in    the  path    of  bonesty. 

"Yours  is  the  Individualistic  system,  where  the  whole  aim 
of  the  government  is  to  help  the  individuals  to  develop  the 
resources  of  tiie  country  by  aflfording  equal  protection  to  all 
its   citizens. 

"But  a  stream  never  rises  higher  than  its  source.  A  nation 
where  the  individual  is  taught  to  look  upon  himself  as  en- 
tered upon  a  race  for  wealth,  where  the  winner  reaches  the 
goal  exhaiTSted  by  the  effijrts  he  has  made  to  distance  his 
competitors,  where  individual  greed  is  encouraged  by  the 
most  tempting  rewards,  and  wliere  a  most  intricate  system  of 
laws,  courts  aud  prisons,  is  ^u'cded  to  preserve  some  kind  of 
order  among  the  contestants  will    never  evolve     the     right   kind 


PUBLIC    MANAGEMENT.  43 

of  a  rovernment,  or  organize  a  satisfactory  public  management. 
"It  is  something  to  have  succeeded  in  restraining  competiti^»n 
within  Ip^I  bounds,  i)ut  voa  will  have  to  entireh  cliange 
your  policy  before  you  can  inaugurate  the  true  Co-ramonwealth, 
and  when  you  try  to  apply  th^  machinery  of  your  representa- 
tive governtn<'.<t,  to  i\w  management  of  business  interests 
you  fail  of  entire  success  because  it  gives  too  much  power  to 
your  public  officers  and    legislatures. 

"Our  Commonwealth  is  organized  in  a  different  spirit  and 
with  a  different  purpose.  It  not  only  aims  to  preserve  peace 
and  order,  but  also  to  co-ordinate  our  pro<iucing  power,  and 
to  make  all  its  citizens  participate  in  the  increased  production. 
Thus  our  welfare  is  intimately  connected  with  the  pecuniary 
success  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  we  are  all  interested  in  its 
proper  management.  On  that  account  the  people  never  sur- 
render the  law-making  power  to  their  delegates,  but  exercize 
a  constant  supervision  over  all  their  actions,  and  if  they  fail 
to  properly  conduct  the  business  commit te»i:  to  their  care,  they 
are   qviickly  ciUed    to  account  for    their     mismanagement." 

'♦You  do  not  then,"  I  said,  "surrender  to  your  political  offi- 
cers T,]i,.  business  interests  of  the  country,  and  do  not  expect 
your  President  and  Governors  to  nonage  them  through  ao-ents 
of  their  own  selection," 

'*No,  not  at  all.  In  the  first  place  we  have  no  Presidents, 
er  Governors,  their  functions  being  fiWed  by  the  Chairmen  of 
the  executive  committees,  but  if  we  had,  we  would  not  place 
our  financial  interests  in   tln-ii-    hands. 

"We  have  added  to  our  government  a  Business  department 
indepevdent  of  the  Political  and  the  Judiciary,  which  has 
entire  charge  of  the  business  enterprises  of  the  Commonwealth, 
and  is  responsible  to  the  people  alone  for  the  result  of  their 
labor.  Through  tliis  department  we  co-ordinate  the  producive 
power  of  the  whole    people,  and    constitute    ourselves,   into    a 


44  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

co-operative  association.  It  creates  a  bond  thronG:)\  the  com- 
munity of  interests,  and  tends  to  destioy  the  spirit  of  competi- 
tion  among  us. 

*'We,  the  jieople,  thus  become  a  business  firm,  and  hire  a 
certain  number  of  men  to  manage  the  work  for  us.  We  re- 
cognize that  if  those  men  are  competent,  they  are  much  better 
situated  than  we  can  be  to  know  what  is  the  best  course  to 
folJow  to  succeed,  und  we  place  in  their  hauds^  both  power  and 
responsii)ility.  We  recognize  also  that  there  must  be  stability, 
and  on  that  account  the  Managers  and  Advisers  are  elected 
for  indefinite  terms,  and  are  retained  in  pla<"e  so  long  as  the 
people  are  satisfied  with  their  services.  But  should  dissatisfac- 
tion arise,  specific  charges  must  be  laid  before  the  Advisers 
for  investigation,  and  if  they  are  sustained,  a  new  election  is 
ordered,  which  is  the  final  verdict  pronounced  by  the  people^. 
Thus  we  are  learning  the  art  of  self-government,  and  while 
liable   to  make  mistakes,  they  are  corrected  as  soon  as  discovered. 

"Those,  you  see,  are  the  principles  that  govern  us  in  the 
organization  of  the  Business  department.  Elections  o^f  officers 
by  the  people,  responsibility  to  the  people,  confidence  in  them 
so  long  as  they  giye  satisfaction,  recall  of  their  powers  by  the 
people  whenever  they  are  no  longer  pleased  with  their  ma- 
nagement." 

"These  principles,"  I  remarked,  "seem  sound  enough  in  the- 
ory, Uit  may  work  badly  in  practice.  The  people  who  control 
your  machinery  are  often  a  very  unwieldy  element.  'What  is. 
everybody's  business  is  often  nobody's  business,'  is  a  saying 
which  contains  more  truth  than  poetry,  and  I  should  be  afraid 
that  the  public  supervision  of  which  you  speak  would  prove 
inefficient  and   easily    evaded." 

"You  are  right,"  answered  Mr.  Wilton,  "and  it  iii  partly  on 
that  account  that  •  we   have   established  Advisory    Boards. 

"The   functions  of  these  Boards  are  three-told.     To  advise,  to- 


PUBLIC    MANAGEMENT.  45 

supervise,  to  co-ordinate.  They  are  clothed  with  no  authority 
except  siicli  as  they  need  to  enable  them  to  attain  the  needed 
information,   and   report  to   the  people     through    publication. 

"Jt  is  to  them  that  we  look  for  that  close  supervision  so 
necessary  t<»  success.  Their  duties  are  to  overlook  the  whole 
business  situation,  reconcile  the  different  interests,  keep  watch 
over  the  receipts  and  the  expenses,  study  the  best  means  to 
promote  the  general  welfare,  and  suggest  them  to  the  public 
and    to  the  Managers. 

"They  are  thf  «>il  which  lubricates  the  co-operative  machine. 
Their  position  enables  them  to  take  a  broad  look  al  the 
situation,  and  to  give  impartial  information.  As  they  occupy 
places  of  great  influence,  we  are  careful  to  select  men  of  good 
judgment  and  known  integrity,  for  our  material  prosperity 
depends    largely    upon    the   soundness   of  their  advice. 

"But  as  I  have  named  the  Managers,  let  me  explain  to  you 
what  are  their  functions.  Their  name  is  the  best  explanation 
I  can  give  you,  for  thev  really  manage  the  business  placed 
in  their  charge,  and  within  their  de[)artments  have  full  au- 
thority placed  in  their  hands.  lam  the  Manager  of  this  hotel, 
and  have  all  the  needed  power  to  run  it  successfully,  provided 
I  use  that  power  according  to  the  recognized  policy  of  the 
Commonwealth.  Our  position  is  somewhat  like  that  of  the 
captain  of  a  vessel.  A  ruler  on  board,  a  private  citizen  on  shore. 
"Some  of  our  Managers  are  elected  by  the  Commonwealth, 
for  they  direct  enterprises  which  must  be  under  a  central  control, 
but  all  local  business  is  controlled  by  Managers  elected  by  the 
Townships,  a  division  we  have  adopted  in  place  of  counties  or 
incorporated  cities,  and  which  replaces  them  both.  These 
Townships  have  each  a  busine&s  department  of  their  own 
which    looks   after  their   local    interests. 

*'\Ve  have,    as    1  iold   you,  formed   ourselves  into   a  businesa 
firm,  and  have  tried  to  follow  the   same  course  that  a   practical 


.  /IcO*-^ 


4$  THE    FUTURE    COMMOIS  WEALTH. 

business     man     would     take  under   the    same    circmnstancfs.. 

"Success  demands  a  general  direction  by  men  who  can  overlook: 
the   whole    field    of  <.f»erations,   and    co-ordinaie    t<>  a  successful 
end   the   means  under   command.     We  secure   tliis  through   «>ur 
I  boards  of    Advisers,    whose    duty   k    is    u>    •-•jither    information', 

and  furnish  it  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Commonwealth.  We 
do  not  entrust  them  with  the  execution  of  the  measures  they- 
recommend,  because  it  would  give  them  more  power  than, 
any  man,  or  set  of  meoi,  should  have  except  in  times  of  public- 
danger. 

"The  next  thing  that  success  demands  is  an  efficient  executive 
management,  which  shall  not  be  hampered  by  intricate  laws, 
and  regulations,  hut  left  free  to  attain  the  desired  ends  in  the- 
best  manner  consistent  witli  the  means  pkced  at  its  disposition.. 
This,  we  secure  through  our  Managers,  who,  elected  by  the 
people,  and  responsible  to  the  |)eoiji  -  alone,  have  every  in- 
ducement  to  fulfil  their   task   to  the   best  of  their   ability. 

"Next,  we    must     have    a   division  of    responsibility,     which 
we  secure  through  our  system  of  Tbwnships,    which    are  really 
3         branches  of  the    whole  firm  or    Commonwealth,     having    special 
interests  under   their  control. 

"Believing  as  we  do  that  co-operation  ought  to  replace- 
competition  as  far  as  possible,  that  each  individual  has  social 
as  well  as  political  rights,  and  that  a  Commonwealth  which 
helps  its  citizens  to  attain  to  a  fair  share  of  comfort  and' 
enjoyment  is  as  far-  superior  to  a  Republic  as  a  Republic  i& 
to  Despotism,  we  have  tried  to  secure  tiiat  result  through, 
our  organization. 

"We  have  retained  political  and  indicial  organizations,  but 
their  importance  is  steadily  dinyinishing,  not  l>ecause  their- 
functions  are  encroached  upon  by  the  business  department,  but 
from  the  results  of  our  policy,  which  are  constantly  dimi- 
nishing the  causes   which   compel  the  enactment    of    laws  and 


THE    RIGHT    SPIRIT.  47 

tl'«  tieed  of  restraint.  All  wars,  disputes,  contentions,  are  the 
'oiitcorae  of  the  competitive  spirit,  either  in  nations  or  indi- 
viduals, and  whatever  promotes  the  co-operative  interests, 
•diminishes  the  spirit  of  greed  which  has  to  be  restrained  by 
law,  and  thus   diminishes  the  need  of  the  laws  themselves. 

"We  believe  in  social  equality,  in  the  solidarity  of  human 
interests,  and  instead  of  using  our  skill  and  intelligence  in 
trying  to  remedy  the  evils  of  society  by  law,  we  use  our 
intelligence  in  devising  means  to  diminish  the  need  of  laws 
by  creating   harmonious  relations  between  man  and  man." 

Mr.  Wilton  tlwn  had  to  leave,  s  >  1  thanked  him  i\yr  his 
itiformation,  hoping  to  hear    more   at   some  future  day. 


♦  1 1 1   » 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    EIGHT    SPIRIT. 

"Several  days  passed  before  I  renewed  my  conversation  witli 
Mr,  Wilton,  days  which  I  spent  in  viewing  the  city  and  its 
surroundings,  and  also  in  getting  acquainted  wit))  the  people. 
Undoubtedly  there  is  a  difference  between  life  here  and  in  the 
United  States;  :  s  much,  I  suppose,  as  there  is  between  life  in 
the   United   States  and  in  Europe. 

One  thing  is  quite  noticeable.  It  is  that  they  know  how 
to  wo''l<  and  how  to  enjoy  themselves.  During  working  hours 
everything  seems  to  move  briskly,  each  one  h:is  something  to 
do,  and  watiiout  any  fuss  and  worry,  an  immense  amount  of 
work  is  accomplished.  But  the  working  hours  are  short,  and 
when  they  are  over,  one  might  believe  himself  in  one  of  those 
Italian    cities,  where  after    sunset     it     looks    as  if   the     whole 


48  THE     FOTUKie    COMMON  WEALTH. 

population  had   turned   out  to  enjoy     an    evening   stroll     in  the 
open    air. 

The  stores  open  late  and  close  early,  especially  the  wholesale 
stores  which  do  not  keep  open  more  than  six  hours.  The 
retail  stores,  which  are  left  to  private  enterprise,  keep  open 
lon.ojer,  but  no  one  is  found  willins:  to  work  from  early  morning 
till  late  at  night,  as  so  many  are  obliged  to  do  under  our 
system.  The  more  even  distribution  of  wealth  has  fostered  a 
quieter  spirit,  and  as  great  accumulations  of  property  are  not 
possible,  and  poverty  is  practically  unknown,  there  are  none 
of  those  strong  incentives  to  extra  exertions  which  are  found 
in  other   countries.  ^ 

T  have  made  some  casual  acquaintances  in  mv  rambles,  and 
have  had  some  conversations  with  persons  I  met  on  the  cars 
or  in  the  stores,  and  I  find  everywhere  the  same  satisfaction 
with  existing  conditions. 

In  a  retail  store  I  entered  to  bnv  underwear,  T  found  the 
owner  to  be  a  quiet,  unassuming  old  gentleman,  who  liked  to 
talk,  and  who  told  me  some  things  that  2ro  to  show  the 
influence  which  surrounding  conditions  have  in  modifying 
character. 

"I  am  surprised,"  I  said  to  him,  "at  the  easy  way  in  which 
yoii  do  business  here,  and  that  some  of  your  energetic  men 
do  not  take  advantage  of  it  to  crowd  to  the  wall  their  less 
ambitious  neighbors." 

"I  believe,"  he  answered,  *''that  if  you  were  to  remain  here 
some  time,  you  would  understand  it  better.  It  is  natural  that 
in  your  country  you  should  strive  for  wealth,  for  w.'alth  is  not 
only  comfort,   it  is   more,  it   is    Dower. 

"Under  your  system  everything;  '•^  for  sale,  and  the  man  of 
wealth  can  get  possession  of  everything  which  is  worth  having. 
Your  rich  men  own  your  railways,  your  street  cars,  your 
steamboats.     They   own  your   palaces,  your  most  valuable  lands, 


THE    EIGHT    SPIKIT.  49 

the  stores  and  the  goods  they  contain.  They  own  the  ma- 
nufactures, the  banks  and  the  money,  and  worse  yet,  they 
own  mortgages  upon  the  homes  of  the  workers  and  upon  their 
future  production   in   the  shape  of  public  bonds. 

"But  it  is  not  so  here.  Suppose  I  should  bestir  myself  to 
accumulate  a  fortune,  what  should  I  do  with  it?  All  our  most 
valuable  property  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Commonwealth  and 
cannot  be  bought  at  any  price.  We  have  no  government 
bonds  or  railroad  stocks  to  furnish  investments  here.  There  is 
a  small  demand  for  private  capital,  mostly  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  but  on  account  of  the  high  price  of  labor,  and  the 
abundance  of  mgney  furnished  by  the  Commonwealth,  interest 
is  very  low,  and  we  have  little  inducement  to  increase  our 
wealth    beyond   what  will   secure   us  a   comfortable  existence." 

With  my  ideas  fresh  from  America,  where  wealth  is  all 
powerful  and  its  acquisition  the  chief  end  in  life,  I  expressed 
my  astonishment  that  the  people  of  Socioland  should  be  sa- 
tisfied under  such  a  regime,  and  my  fear  that  this  stifling 
of  private  ambition  might  result  unfavorably  to  the  general 
prosperity. 

"Yes,   yes,"  said  my  new  acquaintance,  ''you   reason  precisely 
as   would   have   done,   some  hundred  years  ago,  a    French  mar-  \ 
quis  or   a  German  baron.     They    could    not    have      understood    i 
that  life  was  worth  living   in   a  country   without  an  army  and    i 
without  an  aristocracy.     Yet  you     have     learned    in     America    ' 
that   there  are   other   things  worth  living  for    besides   parading 
at  Court  or  killing   our  fellow-men,   and   we   have    found    out 
here   that  there  are  other   things   worth  living  for  besides  the 
acquisition  of  money. 

"But  you  are  entirely  mistaken  in  your  supposition  that  a 
diminution  of  private  ambition  will  have  a  bad  influence  oa 
the  public  prosperity. 

"Our  men  have  as  much  brain,  as  much  physical  activity^ 


50  THE    FUTUKE    COMMONWEALTH. 

and  are  just  as  enterprising  as  yours,  and  as  ready  to  conceive 
and  execute,  but,  unable  to  concoct  schemes  by  which  they 
can  exploit  their  weaker  neighbors  for  their  own  benefit,  they 
have  to  place  their  intelligence  and  their  activity  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Commonwealth  to  i)e  used  for  the  people's 
benefit. 

"My  dear  Sir,"  and  the  old  gentleman  getting  a  little 
excited,  emphasized  his  Words  so  ;is  to  bring  the  whole 
weight  of  liis  argument  to  bear  upon  me,  "which  do  you 
suppose  displayed  the  truest  ambition.  Tiie  freebooter  baron 
of  old  who,  at  the  head  of  a  liand  of  private  retainers, 
plundered  the  unwary  traveller  for  his  jjersonai  advantage,  or 
the  officer  of  a  modern  army,  fighting  for  the  preservation  of 
the  whole  country?  Yours  is  tlie  freebooter  system,  where 
'Every  one  for  himself  and  the  Devil  take  the  hindmost'  is 
the  motto  inscribed  on  your  banner,  while  ours  is  the  organized 
army  of  labor,  where  individual  effort  is  trained  to  promote 
the   welfare  of  all. 

"No,  no,  this  old  argument  of  the  decline  of  enterprise  under 
a  better  oo'-operative  system  will  not  stand  fire  or  hold  water. 
It  is  based  upon  a  false  estimate  of  human  nature,  an<i  ex- 
perience disproves  it  every  day^  Even  in  your  country  the 
greatest  achievements  have  been  done  undei-  government  aus- 
pices, and  the  best  woi'k  is  done  by  men  who  have  no  financial 
interest  in   the  result  of  their  labor. 

"You  may  have  in  your  midst  men  who,  under  the  incentive 
of  private  gain,  will  do  more  and  be  keener  in  the  pursuit 
of  wealth  than  they  would  be  were  they  working  for  public 
benefit,  but  also  how  many  men  with  as  keen  intellect  they 
may  crush,  and  how  many  efforts  they  may  cause  to  abort  in 
their  struggles  to  distance  their  competitors!  All  of  which  is 
clear  loss  to  the  Commonwealth,  and  may  more  than  balance 
the  gain   made  by  tliose  who  are   successful. 


THE    EIGHT    SPIEIT.  *      51 

"Not  only  do  we  escape  this  waste  of  energy,  but  our  efforts 
at  improvement  are  tetter  co-ordinated  and  better  sustained, 
for  thev  jiiv  liacked  by  the  whole  power  of  the  Commonwealth. 
The  result  is  that  we  are  a  wealthy  people,  producing  at  less 
cost   than  other   nations,  and  far   beyond   our  daily     wants." 

I  did  not  try  to  answer  the  old  gentleman,  for  really  I  did 
not  know  what  to  say.  My  objections  could  not  be  founded 
on  practical  knowledge,  but  on  preconceived  ideas  fostered  by 
education.  These  people  had  tried  their  system  and  were 
satisfied.  Still  it  seemed  to  me  that  all  this  government  control 
could  not  be  maintained  without  a  serious  loss  of  personal 
freedom.  ^  ^ 

I  expressed  my  thoughts  to  my  new  acquaintance,  and  asked 
him  whether,  for  instance,  he  was  not  compelled  to  order  liis 
goods  from  certain  stores,  and  give  for  them  a  price  arbitrarily 
fixed  by  the  government? 

"Not  at  all,"  he  answered.  "It  is  strange  l\ow  the  idea  of 
compulsion  clings  to  whatever  is  connected  with  government 
control.  Our  wiiolesale  trade  is  perfectly  free,  and  the  prices 
are  regulated  by  the  law  of  supply  and  demand  as  in  all 
other  countries.  It  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Townships  instead 
of  being  in  private  hands.  That  is  all  the  difference.  I  order 
where  I  please  and  what  I  please  and  every  one  does  the 
same.  It  is  true  that  we  have  some  regulations  here  that  do 
not  exist  in  other  countries,  but  they  are  for  the  protection 
of  the  whole  people.  One  is  a  regcilar  scale  of  profits,  without 
any  admixture  of  si)eculation  in  it.  I  know  that  the  price  I 
give  the  Town  for  the  goods  bears  a  regular  ratio  to  the 
price  paid  to  the  producer  and  manufacturer,  and  I  also  know 
that  I  have  nothing  to  fear  from  those  speculative  fluctuations 
in  price   which   so  often   raia   the  most  careful    dealer. 

"Another  rule  is  that  we  must  pay  tl\e  cash.  The  Common- 
wealth furnishes  an  abundance  of    money   for    all   transactions. 


52  THE     FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

and  as  it  never  speculates,  we  have  no  panic  or  stringency  in 
the  money  market.  We,  the  merchants,  are  not  at  the  mercy 
of  the  bankers,  and  the  whole  trade  of  the  country  is  never 
paralyzed  because  these  money  kings  feel  the  need  of  protecting 
themselves. 

"Again  there  is  one  wholesale  price  for  all.  The  price  of 
goods  in  all  wholesale  stores  is  open  to  inspection,  and  our 
customers  can  buy  at  the  same  price  we  do  if  they  buy  in 
suflficiently  large  quantities.  We  are  only  distributors  whom 
the  people  are  willing  to  pay  for  their  trouble,  but  there  is 
no   chance  for    exorbitant   profits. 

"Thus  hy  a  few  simple  rules,  which  are  approved  of  by  all 
sensible  persons,  and  from  the  power  which  results  from  their 
position,  the  Townships  are  able  to  regulate  all  the  trade,  to 
insure  to  the  customers  a  large  choice  of  goods  at  the  minimum 
cost  of  distribution,    and  protect  them    against  speculation. 

"Outside  of  these  regulations  the  most  perfect  freedom  exists, 
and  I  can  deal  with  another  Township,  or  with  the  manufac- 
turer direct  if  I  find  it  to  my  advantage.  Besides,  many 
articles,  as  fruits,  vegetables,  meats,  milk  and  others  of  a 
perishable  nature,  never  find  their  way  to  the  wholesale  stores, 
but  are  left  to  private  hands.  We  are  not  working  out  any 
definite  plan,  and  would  as  soon  leave  the  wholesale  trade  to 
private  citizens  if  the  result  was  more  satisfactory.  But  our 
system  enables  us  to  better  provide  for  the  people,  and  to 
protect  them  from  trusts  and  other  speculative  combinations. 
And  the  profits  derived  from  the  wholesale  trade  form  one  of 
the  most   available  public     revenues. 

"As  for  the  question  of  individual  freedom,  you  are  I  think 
entirely  mistaken.  The  well  digested  regulations,  approved  of 
by  the  majority  of  the  people,  and  enforced  by  the  Common- 
wealth, are  not  nearly  as  oppressive  as  the  rules  arbitrarily 
enacted  according  to  the  whims   of  the  money   kings.     Order  is 


THE    APPRENTICES.  63 

one  t)f  the  conditions  of  society,  and  must  be  enforced  either 
by  private  edicts  or  public  laws.  All  that  we  can  ask  is 
that  they  should  be  such  as  tend  to  accomplish  the  desired 
end  with  the  least  infringement  of  individual  freedom.  We 
willingly  submit  to  the  government's  control,  but  we  never 
would  stand  the  treatment  you  receive  from  private  corporations, 
who  have  no  respect  for  the  desires  of  their  customers,  except 
so  far  as  it  can  influence  the  amount  of  money  they  expect 
to  make   out    of   them, 

"Besides,  we  have  extended  the  sphere  of  personal  freedom, 
and  are  willing  to  leave  private  conduct  to  be  regulated  by 
natural  results,  and  many  laws  which  are  yet  in  force  among 
you,  would   not  be   tolerated  an  instant    here." 

Much  more  did  the  old  gentleman  tell  me,  for  we  talked  a 
long  time,  and  I  must  acknowledge  that  the  more  1  understand 
the  spirit  which  controls  their  public  organization,  the  more  I 
believe  that  they   are   moving  in  the    right    direction. 


♦  •■ »  ^ 


CHAPTER  IZ. 

THE    APPRENTICES. 

The  next  day  I  had  occasion  to  resume  my  conversation 
with  Mr,  Wilton.  1  am  getting  very  much  interested  in  all 
I  see  and  hear,  an<l  while  I  do  not  find  Socioland  different 
in  its  features  and  products  from  other  countries  I  have 
visited,  I  recognize  that  Mr.  Walter  was  right  when  he  warned 
me  that  I  would  find  myself  in  an  entirely  different  atmos- 
phere. This  does  not  appear  on  the  surface,  although  indica- 
tions can  be  seen    by  the  careful  observer,  but  its    influence  is 


64  THE    FUTUKE    COMMONWEALTH. 

/ 

strongly  marked  on  their  internal  economy.  I  am  more  and 
more  convinced  that  they  are  in  a  fair  way  of  solving  problems 
which  have  puzzled  mankind  for  a  long  time,  and  I  desire  to 
learn  all  I  can  as  to  tlie  manner  in  Avhich  they  are  solving 
them.  So  I  was  glad  to  find  the  next  evening  that  Mr. 
Wilton  had  no  previous  engagement,  and  could  spare  the 
time    for  a   long  conversation. 

After  a  few  words  on  general  subjects,  I  asked  him  to  tell 
me  more  about  the  management  of  public  business,  especially 
of  that  part  connected  with  the  apprentices,  for  I  meet  them 
at  every  turn,  and  they  are  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
features  of  the  society    in    Socioland. 

"I  can  probably  best  explain  what  you  want  to  know,"  said 
Mr.  Wilton  in  answer  to  my  questions,  "by  giving  you  a  short 
account  of  the  management  of  this  hotel.  When  the  Township 
of  Spencer,  for  reasons  we  will  not  go  into  now,  decided  to 
open  another  hotel,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  select 
a  suitable  spot  upon  the  land  in  its  possession,  and  upon  that 
tract  to  erect  a  building  for  that  purpose.  This  was  done  by 
the  Town  Architect  under  the  supervision  of  the  Board  of 
Advisers,  the  means  coming  from  the  surplus  fund,  which,  with 
the   resources  in   the   hands   of  the  Township,  is  always  large. 

"All  the  material  was  paid  for  in  cash,  that  which  came 
from  the  Township  stores,  as  well  as  that  bought  from  private 
persons.  The  labor  was  hired  by  the  day  or  the  week  at 
liberal  rates,  but  as  many  apprentices  as  possible  were  kept 
at  work,  to  reduce  expenses,  and  also  because  we  find  that 
physical  exercise  of  that  kind  is  a  good  training  for  our 
young  men,  and  kas  a  beneficial  influence  on  their  body  and 
on  their  mind. 

"And  here,  Mr.  Balcom,  let  me  point  to  you  the  difierence 
between  our  system  and  that  of  the  United  States.  In  the 
building  of  this  hotel  we   have  eliminated   the    profit  on  the 


THE    APPKENTieES.  55 

land  which  would  have  gone  to  some  speculator,  the  profit 
on  the  material,  which  was  mostly  furnished  by  the  wholesale 
stores,  and  the  profit  of  the  contractor.  That  which  has  cost 
us  more  money  has  been  the  labor  which  commands  high 
prices  here,  yet  the  final  result  has  been  to  reduce  the  cost 
one  third.  All  this  has  been  achieved  without  doing  injustice 
to  any  one,  but  simply  by  preventing  the  monopolization  of 
natural  resources  by  individuals. 

♦'When  the  house  was  finished,  I  presented  myself  as  can- 
didate for  Manager.  I  have  been  connected  with  hotels  all 
my  life,  and  since  my  arrival  in  Socioland  have  been  Head 
Steward  in  another  establishment.  I  had  borne  a  good  cha- 
racter, and  was  elected  without  opposition.  I  have  given  sa- 
tisfaction and  have  held  the  place  ever  since.  My  salary  is 
liberal,   bnt   not  extravagant,  and   I  am    well  satisfied. 

"As  soon  a^  elected,  I  took  charge  of  the  house  which  was 
not  yet  furnished.  That  part  of  the  outfit  was  purchased  under 
my  care,  conjointly  with  one  of  the  Advisers  who  was  detailed 
to  help  me  until  the  work  was  finished.  I  furnished  the 
knowledge  of  what  would  be  required,  while  he  safeguarded 
the  interests  of  the  Town.  We  were  not  limited  in  our  expenses 
by  an  appropriation,  but  confidence  was  placed  in  our  judgment 
and  in   our    integrity. 

"When  the  work  was  done,  the  full  Board  was  invited  to 
carefully  examine  the  hotel  throughout,  the  accounts  were 
submitted  to  their  inspection,  and  when  all  was  recognized  as 
correct,  both  the  Architect  and  myself  were  notified  that  our 
work  was  satisfactory,  and  a  notice  to  thai  effect,  as  well  as 
a  full  statement  of  all  our  expenses,  was  published  for  the 
benefit  of  the  inhabitants   of  Spencer. 

"Once  in  charge,  I  proceeded  to  hire  help,  and  besides, 
made  an  application  to  the  Apprentice  Bureau  for  as  many 
of  them  as  I   thought   I  could  employ.    Those    young   people, 


56  THE    FUTUEE    COMMONWEALTH. 

who  receive  no  wages,  and  are  often  very  intelligent  and 
anxious  to  learn,  are  a  great  help  to  reduce  expenses,  and 
there   is  always   a  great  demand    for  them. 

"When  we  put  in  a  requisition,  we  must  state  the  kind  of 
occupation  we  have,  for  it  is  not  only  the  apprentices  just 
called  out  that  are  free  to  choose  to  work  for  as,  but  all  those 
in  the  Commonwealth.  Except  that  all  apprentices  are  ex- 
pected to  keep  at  work,  they  have  all  the  freedom  of  choice 
they  can  desire.  At  any  time  a  young  man  or  woman  working 
for  me  can  leave  if  they  have  a  place  offered  to  them  where 
they  think  they  would  be  better  satisfied,  but  I  can  also 
send  back  to  the  Bureau  any  of  them  who  does  not  give  me 
satisfaction.  Of  course  there  are  checks  to  the  abuse  of  these 
privileges,  for  the  Commonwealth  has  the  welfare  of  its  young 
people  very  much  at  heart,  and  the  Apprentice  Bureau  is 
specially  charged  to  see  after  them,  and  to  advise  them  so  as 
to  prevent  unwise  changes.  The  parents  have  also  influence 
with  their  children,  and  are  consulted  by  the  Bureau  and  the 
Managers  so  as  to  attain   the  best   results. 

J  "It  is  also  the  duty  of  the  Bureau  to  investigate  the  com- 
plaints of  the  apprentices,  and  if,  as  sometimes  happens  with 
Managers  newly  elected,  it  is  found  that  they  cannot  get  along 
with  the  young  people,  it  is  considered  a  sufficient  reason  to 
put  in  motion  the  machinery  necessary  to  secure  a  new  election. 
We  have  also  among  our  children  some  who  have  a  roviiig 
disposition,  and  want  to  change  often  and  without  good  cause. 
For  thesBy  places  are  found  with  Managers  specially  qualified 
to  deal  with  such  characters,  and  they  are  compelled  to  remain 
until  there  is  an  improvement  in  their  disposition.  Thus, 
without  strict  rules  or  harsh  measures,  we  try  by  a  process  of 
natural  selection  to  make  the  most  of  the  material  at  our 
command. 
"Once  provided  with  a  suitable  building  and     the    necessary 


THE    APPRENTICES.  57 

personel,  I  am  left  free  to  rim  this  hotel  as  if  I  owned  it 
myself,  f  am  expected  to  charge  moderate  prices,  to  give 
satisfaction  to  my  guests,  to  deal  kindly  with  my  help,  and 
to  clear  a  moderate  profit.  I  must  keep  a  strict  account  of 
my  receipts  and  expenses,  which  T  can  easily  do  with  the 
help  of  the  apprentices,  several  of  whom  are  fair  accountants 
and  book-keepers.  My  accounts  must  always  be  open  to  the 
inspection  of  the  Board  of  Advisers,  or  whoever  they  choose 
to  delegate. 

"The  result  of  this  union  of  responsibility  and  freedom  is  to- 
create  a  body  of  men  trained  to  the  management  of  public 
enterprises,  and  we  are  educating  the  growing  generation  in 
the  special  qualifications  needed  for  the  responsible  position 
of  Managers.  It  is  the  process  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest 
applied  to  public  affairs,  and  makes  Socioland  the  best  mana- 
ged   country  in  the   world." 

"But,  Mr.  Wilton,"  I  reinarked,  "do  you  not  have  trouble 
with  some  of  the  apprentices?  Of  course  the  most  of  them 
are  to  be  trusted,  but  are  not  several  of  them  careless  and 
unreliable,   and   more  anxious   to  play   than    to  work?" 

"No,"  ho  answered.  *'We  have  very  little  trouble  in  that 
direction.  Probably  it  is  due  to  the  spirit  which  reigns  in 
Socioland  and  which  affects  all  our  people,  and  has  its  infiu- 
enoe  even  upon  the  children.  In  the  first  place,  all  kinds  of  | 
work  are  honorable  here,  and  a  moderate  amount  is  looked 
upon  as  healthy  for  both  body  and  mind.  Our  children  are 
not  taught  that  labor  is  a  curse  entailed  upon  the  human  fa- 
mily by  the  fall  of  Adam.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  taught 
that  it  is  through  labor  that  all  that  which  makes  life  worths 
living  has  been  attained,  and  that  further  progress  will  only 
result  from  labor  intelligently  directed.  Then  we  teach  them 
the  great  advantages  which  resvilt  from  the  combination  of 
labor,  and   try  to  make   them  understand  that  concerted  action. 


58  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

is  only  possible  when  the  riofht  kind  of  spirit  animates  the 
whole   population.  J*- 

"As  our  aims  are  different  from  yours,  we  preach  to  our 
youths  an  entirely  different  doctrine.  Your  sins  are  the  sius 
against  the  will  of  God,  ours  are  the  sins  against  the  welfare 
•of  society*  You  trust  in  the  authority  of  the  law,  we  trust  in 
each  other,  and  frown  down  any  conduct  which  tends  to  des- 
troy this  confidence.  Yoa  envy  and  try  to  imitate  the  man 
who  enriches  himself  at  public  expense;  we  look  upon  him 
as  a  public  enemy.  You  excuse  the  man  who  betrays  a  public 
trust;  we  look  upon  him  with  the  same  contempt  as  the  brave 
soldier  looks  upon  the  man  who  runs  away  in  the  midst  of 
battle.  We  thus  create  a  public  spirit  which  is  an  important 
factor   toward   the  success   of  our    institutions. 

"No,  Mr.  Balcom,  we  have  very  little  trouble  with  our  ap- 
prentices. Having  a  common  aim  and  common  interests,  the 
desire  for  success  permeates  all  our  people  and  is  felt  by  our 
children,  so  that  they  are  willing  to  do  their  part,  and  those 
whose  character  inclines  to  neglect  their  work,  are  morally 
compelled    to   keep   step    with   their  surroundings. 

"However  there  are  other  causes  which  induce  our  apprentices 
to  work  cheerfully.  We  try  as  far  as  possible  to  make  them 
happy,  and  want  them  to  enjoy  life  as  much  as  the  conditions 
permit.  We  believe  in  happiness,  and  want  our  children  to 
\>e  happy.  They  are  not  only  well  cared  for,  but  as  you  have 
seen,  they  have  much  uiore  recreation  and  also  much  more 
freedom  than  they  have  in  your  land.  "We  ask  nothing  from 
them  in  the  Way  of  work  but  what  they  can  see  is  for  the 
general  good,  and  when  their  task  is  accomplished,  not  only 
do  we  leave  them  free  to  do  what  they  please,  but  we  help 
them   to   spend   their  time  agreeably   and  profitably." 

"That,  Mr.  Wilton,"  [  remarked;  "must  be  a  very  good  plan 
for   boys   and  girls  of  good  disposition,  but  we  would   be  afraid 


THE    APPRENTICES.  59 

to  give  so  much  freedom  to  our  children,  for  it  must  be  a 
j;reat  temptation  to  abuse  the  privilege,  and  forni  habits  and 
associations  which  might  have   a  bad  influence  on  the  character^" 

"You  give  me  here,  Mr.  Balcom,  a  very  old  argument 
against  every  extension  of  individual  freedom,  an  argument 
which  is  logical  enough  in  tiie  mouth  of  a  Christian  who 
believes  in  innate  depravity,  and  is  taught  to  pray  to  be  kept 
out  of  temptation,  but  which,  if  you  will  allow  me  to  say  t-o, 
is  entirely  out  of  place  in  the  mouth  of  an  Agnostic  and  an 
American  citizen. 

"You,  as  an  Agnostic,  cannot  believe  in  natural  depravity, 
and  as  an  American,  you  ought  to  know  that  the  same  criti- 
cism is  launched  at  you  by  the  Europeans  on  account  of  the 
greater  freedom  you  give  to  the  youths  of  both  sexes,  and  yet 
you  have  no  reason  to  believe  but  what  their  conduct  is  just 
as  good    as  that   of  their   European    brothers  and   sisters. 

"No,  our  experience  has  shown  us  that  we  can  better  afford 
to  trust  our  young  people  than  to  niistrust  them,  and  that  if 
we  taught  them  right  we  could  safely  allow  them  to  control 
their  own   personal  actions. 

"Besides  all  these  influences,  our  system  is  such  as  to  induce 
our  apprentices  to  their  best  exertions,  for  it  is  those  wh.o 
learn  and  improve,  and  show  the  most  executive  ability,  who 
advance  in  position.  There  is  really  more  incentive  to  well 
doing  in  oar  system  than  there  is  under  private  competition 
for  the  best  prizes  are  won  by  actual  merit,  and  not  by  favor 
or  the   privilege   of  birth. 

"I  have  tried  to  explain  to  you,  Mr.  Balcora,  how  we  try 
to  foster  from  the  start  the  spirit  which  alone  can  make  our 
public  policy  a  success.  That  is  the  base,  the  foundation^, 
which  lacking  would  wreck  all  our  efforts.  Public  institutions 
are  built  upon  private  character,  and  the  marked  advance 
we  think   we  have  made  over  otlier    nations,    we    would  soor\ 


60  THE     FUTURE    COxMMONWEALTH. 

lose   unless  we  cultivate   the   same  spirit     which   animated   our 
predecessors." 

This  opinion  of  Mr.  Wilton  is  worthy  of  a  careful  study. 
If  he  is  correct,  then  a  change  in  public  spirit  must  precede 
a  change  in  public  institutions.  The  lessons  of  history  would 
show  that  he  is  right,  for  reveral  times,  under  the  leadership 
of  progressive  men,  nations  have  tried  to  advance  further  tlian 
Avas  warranted  by  the  state  of  public  knowledge,  and  after 
short  trials  the  ground  gained  was  lost,  and  the  people  had 
to   fall   back  lo   their   original    institutions. 


•   » 1 »   » 


CHAPTER  X. 

ABOUT    EDUCATION 

\/  1  am  staying  longer  in  Spencer  than  I  had  at  first  intended, 
'  but  I  am  enjoying  myself  at  the  hotel,  where  I  have  many 
friends,  and  where  reigns  a  home  feeling  which  I  had  never 
found  in  a  hotel  before. 

This  feeling  is  not  due  to  the  special  character  of  the 
guests,  but  is  due  to  the  social  feeling  among  the  employees 
of  the  hotel,  young  and  old.  As  their  tasks  are  comparatively 
light  and  they  have  much  spare  time,  and  as  special  efforts 
are  made  to  spend  this  time  in  common,  they  constitute  a  social 
circle  open  at  all  times  to  the  guests,  and  form  the  bond  that 
keeps  this  pleasant  home  feeling  alive.  Every  afternoon  quite 
a  number  of  people  meet  in  the  parlor,  and  every  evening 
some  entertainment  is   provided. 

I  find  that  music  is  very  much  cultivated  in  Socioland,  and 
\  the  children  are  taught  to  play  and  sing  in   the  public  schools. 


ABOUT    EDUCATIOK.  61 

There  are  many  good  performers  on  several  instruments  among 
the  hotel  people,  and  concerts  are  of  frequent  occurrence.  As 
for  dancing,  it  is  the  order  of  the  day  here,  and  children  are 
taught  to  dance  almost  as  soon  as  they  can  walk.  Besides 
these  social  advantages,  there  is  a  good  library  in  the  hotel, 
and   it  is  well   patronized. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  very  little  style  and  it  is 
not  encouraged.  Everything  is  nice  and  good,  and  all  con- 
veniences for  comfort  are  provided  for,  but  there  is  very  little 
for  show.  The  table  is  well  supplied,  and  the  service  sufficient 
for  those   who  are  willing   to   eat   at  leisure. 

One  thing  which  makes  it  much  easier  for  the  people  of 
the  hotel  and  which  is  characteristic  of  the  habits  of  the 
country,  is  that   there  is  little  or  no  travel   at    night. 

In  adjusting  the  time  tables  of  public  conveyances,  the  com- 
fort of  the  employees  is  consulted  as  much  as  the  desires  of 
the  travelling  public,  and  they  are  so  arranged  as  to  prevent 
their  being  called  upon  to  work  at  undue  hours.  That  seemed 
very  strange  to  me  at  first,  for  it  is  an  unheard  of  thing 
among  us  that  the  convenience  of  the  workers  should  be  con- 
sulted in  the  running  of  public  conveyances,  and  I  could  not 
understand  that  the  travellers  should  be  satisfied,  but  I  learned 
that  it  is  one  of  the  natural  consequences  of  the  emancipation 
of  the  laborer  from  the  thraldom    of   poverty. 

In  a  country  where  a  large  part  of  the  public  labor  is  done 
by  the  young  people,  and  where  wealth  is  so  distributed  that 
want  stares  no  one  in  the  face,  and  where  the  attainment  of 
happiness  is  made  the  chief  incentive  to  labor,  it  would  be 
unlogical  to  request  the  public  employees  to  turn  night  into 
day  for  the  convenience  of  those  who  want  to  be  carried  at 
night.  Not  that  all  night  work  can  be  dispensed  with,  only 
it  is  reduced    to   its  minimum. 

Such   a  course  would   be  impossible    with    us    fof   everything 


62  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

is  rushed  througli  at  railroad  speed,  and  the  motto  "Time  is 
laoney"  is  a  true  index  of  th^  practices  of  our  country.  But 
here  if  time  is  also  money,  yet  money  is  not  valued  above 
comfort,  and  it  will  not  buy  the  discomfort  of  a  large  portion 
of  the  people   as    it   will   do  among  us. 

You  may  remember  that  the  first  dav  of  my  arrival  I  was 
presented  to  Miss  Bell,  whom  Mrs.  Wilton  told  me  was  the 
daughter  of  one  of  the  influential  men  of  Spencer,  one  of  the 
class  who  among  us  would  be  a  merchant  prince  and  a  finan- 
cial power.  I  was  very  much  pleased  with  her  from  that 
evening,  and  as  she  seems  to  enjoy  my  society,  we  have  he- 
come  very  good  friends  indeed.  She  is  not  strikingly  hand- 
some, hut  is  a  pleasant  looking  girl  of  about  nineteen  years 
of  age.  She  is  a  little  above  the  medium  height,  with  fair 
hair  and  honest  blue  eyes.  One  of  those  girls  who  improve 
in  looks  as  they  advance  in  years,  and  make  the  best  of  wives 
and  mothers.  I  have  not  fallen  in  love  with  her,  so  my  dear 
Harry,  do  not  weave  a  little  romance  at  my  expense,  but  I 
find  her  well-informed  and  intelligent,  and  we  enjoy  conver* 
sing  together.  Miss  Bell  is  as  much  interested  in  learning 
something  of  our  usages  as  I  am  in  learning  from  her,  and 
it   adds  greatly  to   the   pleasure  of  our   conversation. 

"Tell  me,  Mr.  Balcom,"  she  said  to  me  one  evening  as  we 
were  sitting  in  the  parlor,  "how  do  girls  of  my  age  spend 
their  time    in  the  United  States?" 

"Ah!  Miss  Bell,"  1  replied,  "that  is  too  hard  a  question  for 
me  to  answer,  for  it  depends  very  much  in  what  station  of 
life   they  are   born." 

"That  is  true,"  she  remarked,  ''I  had  forgotten  you  told  me 
that  you  have  no  public  apprentices  there.  Do  you  know  it 
seems  impossible  to  realize  that  there  should  be  so  much 
difierence  in  the  education  of  children?  Now  here  all  have 
an  equal   chance,  and  the  only  difference  is  what    results  from 


ABOUT  EDUCATION.  63 

<i>ur  special  ability,  or  from  the  choice  of  vocations.  But  tell 
me,  how  would  I  have  been  educated  bad  I  been  born  in 
the  United    States?" 

"Well,  Miss  Bell,  I  will  tell  you  as  near  as  I  can.  You 
would  have  lived  in  a  very  large  house,  surrounded  by  a  great 
many  servants  who  would  have  waited  on  you,  and  would 
have  been  nearly  all  your  society  until  you  were  old  enough 
to    go  to  school." 

"What!"  she  exclaimed,  "and  my  parents?" 
"Oh!  your  father  would  have  been  too  busy  getting  rich  to 
spend  much  time  at  home,  and  too  tired  and  nervous  to  stand 
the  effervescence  of  your  overflowing  spirits,  and  as  for  your 
mother,  the  demands  of  society  would  have  absorbed  all  her 
time,  and  she  would  have  been  compelled  to  leave  you  in  the 
care   of  the   nursery  maid. 

"You  would  have  been  first  sent  to  private  school,  then 
to  a  finishing  school  until  you  were  twenty  years  or  more, 
when  you  would  have  come  out  in  society,  and  spent  your 
time  in   dressing,  and    making   and    receiving   calls." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,  Mr.  Balcom,  that  I  would  have  been 
kept  at  school  more  than  ten  years  of  my  life?  And  what  do 
these   girls  learn  during  all    that  time?" 

''Really,  Miss  Bell,  it  is  more  than  I  can  tell  you.  So  far 
as  I  can  judge,  \vhat  they  learn  they  keep  to  themselve8,\ 
for  1  have  never  been  able  to  (letect  it  in  their  conversation,/ 
I  have  some  times  asked  them  what  they  learned  at  school 
and  they  would  answer  latin,  algebra,  geometry,  chemistry, 
etc.,  but  I  never  could  get  them  to  tell  me  what  was  the 
object  of  their  studies,  or  how  it  was  expected  that  it  would 
help  them  through    life." 

"But  surely,  Mr.  Balcom,  these  girls  do  not  spend  all  their 
time  in  such  studies.  They  must  be  taught  some  practical 
knowledge,  something  of  housekeeping  or  cooking,  or  dressmaking. 


64  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

Something  that   will  be  of  use  to  them   in  their   married  life."" 

*'All  that  must  seem  strange  to  you,  Miss  Eell.  It  ought  to 
be  incredible,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  in  the  United  States  the 
daughters  of  rich  men  are  not  expected  to  ck)  any  useful 
work  in  their  life.  What  is  expected  af  them  is  to  adorn 
society,  and  they  are  taught  accomplish aients  to  enable  them 
to  fill  in  a  graceful  manner  their  appointed  place.  These 
accomplishments  would  be  well  enough  if  these  girls  had  a 
useful  background  to  hang  them  upon,  but  they  know  nothing 
of  life  and  its  realities,  and  have  no  desirable  aims  or  serious 
purposes.  They  form  among  themselves  a  sort  of  mutual  ad- 
miration society,  where  the  false  coin  of  fashion  passes  in  place 
of  the  real  currency  of  this  busy  world,  and  are  failures  so 
far  as  the   welfare  of  mankind   is    concerned. 

"Of  course  you  understand  that  I  am  talking  now  of  the 
daughters  of  our  richest  men,  but  unhappily  they  are  the  chil- 
dren of  our  most  energetic  and  intelligent  citizens,  those  best 
qualified  to  maintain  a  high  standard  of  womanhood,  and  the 
number  of  girls  so  educated  is  increasing  all  the  time.  Their 
position  makes  them  leaders  in  fashion,  and  all  those  persons 
who  want  to  raise  themselves  in  society  follow  in  their  foot- 
steps, and  actually  believe  that  this  useless  education  is  a  mark 
of  distinction,  and  stamps  its  recipients  as  something  superior 
to  the  rest  of  humanity. 

"We  think  we  have  made  a  great  advance  because  we  have 
abolished  the  aristocracy  of  birth,  but  we  have  replaced  it  by 
an  aristocracy  of  wealth,  and  the  lessons  of  history  are  re- 
peating themselves.  Our  aristocracy,  instead  of  cultivating  the 
qualities  which  have  raised  it  above  the  common  level,  educate 
their  children  in  idleness  and  uselessness,  and  thus  fail  to 
maintain  the  high  standard  they  have  attained,  and  demoralize 
all  below  them  by  the  pernicious  example  of  their  luxurious  lives." 

"I  cannot  help  believe,  Mr.  Balcom^   that  it  is^  only  one  side 


ABOUT  EDUCATION.  66 

of  tlie  picture  yon  are  showing  me  now.  You  must  have  a 
larjje  number  of  girls  who  receive  a  practical  and  an  intellec- 
tual education,  and  who,  like  ns  here,  can  turn  their  hands 
and  ^irainb  to  all  kinds  of  useful  occupations,  possessing  culture 
and   accomplishments,  and  feeling  at   home  everywhere." 

*'0f  course  we  have,"  I  answered.  "The  force  of  circumstances 
teaches  many  a  girl  the  practical  side  of  life,  but  it  is  not 
looked  upon  favorably,  even  by  the  most  sensible  portion  of 
the  community.  The  rich  set  the  fashion,  and  all  other  classes 
follow  as  far  as  their  means  will  allow.  You  have  a  check 
here  on  such  pernicious  influences  in  your  social  institutions 
which  prevents  the  private  accumulation  of  wealth,  and  trains 
all  your  people  to  useful  occupations,  but  we  have  no  checks, 
and  the   evil   is  running   riot,  and  is  fast  demoralizing  society. 

"The  results  of  our  system  of  education  arejdstas  bad  among 
the  lower  classes.  Their  children  are  not  taught  any  useful 
knowledge,  such  as  would  help  them  to  rise  in  the  world, 
and  our  cities  are  full  of  girls  who  have  to  earn  their  living 
and  are  thrown  upon  their  own  resources  without  any  preparation. 
You  can  have  no  idea.  Miss  Bell,  of  the  misery  of  their  ex- 
istence. Ignorant,  ill-paid,  overworked,  they  are  surrounded  by 
their  rich  sisters,  who  flaunt  in  their  faces  their  carriages  and 
their  silk   dresses,  and  monopolize  all  the    enjoyments. 

"No,  you  cannot  realize  here  how  great  a  difference  there  is 
in  the  education  of  our  children,  and  how  far  from  an  equal 
chance  our  system — or  to  be  correct  our  lack  of  system — ^gives 
them  of  /caching  a  desirable  position  in  society." 

**But,  Mr.  Balcom,  if  it  is  as  you  represent  it,  why  do  you 
not  adopt  some  system   like  ours?" 

"You  cannot  understand,"  I  answered,  "how  diflScult  it  is 
to  make  changes  in  old  settled  countries.  Many  of  us  want 
a  change,  and  in  time  will  be  sufficiently  numerous  to  compel 
a  change.    The  dissatisfaction  with   the  inequalities  io  conditions 


m  THE     FUTURE    COMMONWEALTir. 

is  becoming  greater  every  year,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most 
encouraging  signs   of  the    times. 

"It  is  only  of  late  that  this  dissatisfaction  has  dared  to 
manifest  itself,  for  the  religious  beliefs  of  tlie  past  were 
opposed  to  changes,  and  their  tendency  was  to  encourage  abject 
submission.  For  centuries  the  poor  have  been  taught  that  God 
had  created  the  existing  conditions  of  society,  and  that  he  had 
chosen  some  to  be  rich  and  powerful,  and  others  to  be  poor 
and  submissive,  and  that  any  attempt  to  change  these  social 
relations  was  an  act  of  rebellion  against  the  decrees  of  an  all- 
wise  Providence. 

"Those  are,  I  suppose,  arguments  against  progress  you  never 
heard  before,  and  wbich  would  have  no  effect  on  you,  and 
you  would  probably  laugh  at  the  person  who  told  you  that 
health  or  sickness,  success  or  failure,  happiness  or  misery,  are 
not  the  result  of  the  wisdom  or  foolishness  of  our  actions, 
but  the    result  of  the    will  of  God. 

"Yet  for  ages  this  doctrine  has  been  preached  to  us  by 
those  who  were  regarded  as  best  qualified  to  teach,  and  any 
doubt  as  to  its  truth  has  been  threatened  with  fearful  pu- 
nishment in  a  future  existence.  This  doctrine  is  no  longer 
believed,  although  it  is  still  preached  and  listened  to  with  res- 
pect, and  the  number  of  persons  who  believe  that  it  is  possible 
to  equalize  the  social  conditions  is  yet  far  too  small  to  enable 
us   to  accomplish   any  important  change. 

"We  are  just  emerging  out  of  the  toils  of  an  iron-bound 
spiritual  despotism,  which  has  held  society  so  long  in  its  em- 
brace that  now  that  its  arms  are  beginning  to  be  loosened 
we  are  yet  so  cramped  that  very  few  realize  that  we  are  free 
to  stretch  out  and  seek  for  a  more  comfortable  position.  We 
commence  to  dare  to  express  our  belief  that  our  position  is 
not  as  satisfactory  as  it  might  be,  and  to  deny  the  claims  of 
those    who  oppose   changes    from    fear    that    they    might  prove 


ANCIENT    INSTITUTIONS.  67 

disastrous  to  their  spiritual  authority,  but  we  are  not  yet  far 
enough  advanced  as  a  people  to  know  how  to  modify  our 
public   institutions. 

"You    can  sec,    Miss   Bell,    by  what    T  tell    you,  how    much 
there  is   to   be  done   before  we  can    improve   a  state   of  society 
which    is  not   only   far  from  perfect,  but   fails  utterly  to  promote 
1    the  highest   happiness  of  the  rich  as    well   as   of    the  poor." 


^   I  ■ »   » 


CHAPTER  XL 

ANCIENT    INSTITUTIONS. 

I  had  not  realized,  my  dear  Harry,  until  I  conversed  with 
Miss  Bell,  how  great  a  difference  there  is  between  their  edu- 
cation and  GUIS,  especially  from  a  religious  point  of  view.  Here 
was  a  young  girl  who  had  never  entered  a  church  or  even 
seen  one,  had  never  conversed  with  a  preacher  or  been  ap- 
proached upon  the  subject  of  the  salvation  of  her  i>o\x\  and 
never  been  told  that  there  was  any  possible  relation  between 
her  beliefs  and  conduct  here,  and  her  happiness  or  misery 
in   a  future  existence. 

The  point  which  struck  me  was  not  the  question  of  her 
religious  beliefs,  for  while  I  have  never  asked  her,  yet  from 
some  words  dropped  in  conversation  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  she  leans  toward  Spiritualism,  but  that  which  interested 
me  was  the  fact,  pure  and  simple,  that  her  conduct  was 
entirely  free   from   religious    influences. 

'  We  have  no  such  characters  among  us,  at  least  I  have  never 
seen  any.  We  have  unbelievers,  agnostics,  heathens  even.  The 
slums  contain  many   youths  who   have  never  entered   a    church 


68  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

or  attended  Sabbath  school,  but  still  they  have  come  in  contact 
with  men  and  women  who  go  to  both,  ;tnd  their  conduct  is 
influenced  by  what  they  hear  from  them.  I  doubt  if  any 
person  can  be  found  but  what  has  heard  of  the  Ten  Command- 
ments and  know  that  they  are  held  in  reverence^  by  per&ons 
that  they  themselves  respect. 

)But  not  only  this  girl,  \  but  all  these  youths  by  whom  I  am 
.surrounded,  live  in  a  country  where  there  is  no  church,  no 
Bible,  no  preachers,  and  where  right"*'  and  wrong  are  judge! 
entirely  upon  the  desirable  or  undesirable  results  of  their 
actions. 

What  a  different  basis  from  ours!  How  flexible  and  open 
to  change  a  nation  thus  educated  must  be,  compared  to  one 
which  is  hampered  by  old  traditions,  and  whose  people  respect 
and  obey  ancient  laws,  not  becant^e  tliey  fulfil  any  useful 
purpose,  but  because  they  are  prefaced  by  a  "Thus  says 
the  Lord." 

How  it  simplifies  the  solution  of  the  social  problem  to  place 
it  on  a  purely  natural  basis,  by  surrendering  the  bdiief  that 
somewhere  there  resides  a  creator  who  has  promulgated  laws 
for  the  guidance  of  men,  which  are  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  laws  that  control  the  balance  of  the  Univene,  and  who 
compels  obedience  to  these  laws  by  rewards  and  punishments 
outside   of  the  realm    of  natural  results. 

It  brought  strongly  to  my  mind  what  Mr.  Walter  had  told 
lae  on  the  boat,  that  thev  had  adopted  a  standard  of  conduct 
I  /in  accord  with  the  law  of  evolution,  and  which  would  greatly 
1/  facilitate  progress.  As  Ifget*  a  better  insight  into  the  philoso- 
phy of  these  people,  and  learn  to  understand  the  beliefs  which 
guide  their  conduct,  I  realise  how  difficult  it  will  be  for  us  to 
make  any  marked  advance  so  long  as  we  try  to  follow  at  the 
same  time  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  and  the  dictates  of  our 
natural  desires.    We   are   a   house  divided   against  itself,  and  it 


ANCIENT    INSTITUTIONS.  69 

helps  us  but  little  that  our  religious  beliefs  do  not  penetrate 
deeper  than  tlie  surface,  and  our  obedience  to  the  Bible  is  more 
in    form    than  reality. 

The  day  after  I  had  the  conversation  on  education  with 
Miss  Bell  was  Sunday,  and  in  the  morning  as  I  sauntered  in 
the  parlor  after  breakfast,  she  came  to  me  and  said:  "You 
know,  I  suppose,  Mr.  Balcom,  that  this  is  a  holiday  with  us. 
We  cannot  atop  work  entirely  here,  for  there  are  many  things 
which  have  to  be  done,  but  we  suspend  all  but  the  most 
necessary  occupations,  and  try  to  enjoy  the  day  as  u)uch  as 
possible.  My  work  is  such  as  can  be  [^laid  aside  for  the  day, 
and  what  little  1  have  to  do  consists  in  helping  those  who 
are  not  so  well  favored.  But  I  have  most  of  the  day  free, 
and  I  would  be  pleased  if  you  will  come  home  with  me  and 
get   acquainted    with   my    parents." 

Of  course  I  gladly  assented,  and  not  long  after  we  started 
to  walk  to  their  house.  The  streets  were  quiet,  most  all  the 
stores  closed,  and  the  people  whom  we  met  were  in  their  holi- 
day attiie.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation  I  remarked  to 
Miss  Bell  that  the  absence  of  churches  was  something  an 
American  would  be  sure   to   notice. 

"It  is  true  that  we  have  no  churches  in  Socioland,"  she 
said,  "and  I  have  often  wondered  what  people  went  to  church 
for.  Can  you  explain  to  me  what  is  the  attraction  which 
takes   them    there?" 

"Well,  Miss  Bell,  I  suppose  it  is  habit  more  than  anything 
else  which  takes  people  to  church  now.  It  is  one  of  those 
duties  which  I  told  you  of  yesterday,  that  have  been  imposed 
upon  us  by  the  iron  hand  of  spiritual  authority.  You  may 
have  heard  that  the  Bible  teaches  that  God  created  the 
world  in  six  days  and  rested  on  the  seventh,  and  on  that 
account  ordered  that  man  should  rest  one  day  out  of  seven. 
Of  course   no  one    believes  that  now,  but"*8till  the   consecration 


70  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

of  the  seventh  day  to  God's  worship  is  upheld  hy  men  who 
believe  one  thing  and  preach  another,  and  law  and  public 
opinion  enforces   it. 

"Then  some  three  thousand  years  p.eo,  a  Jewish  k  ng  named 
Solomon  built  God  a  fine  temple,  for  it  was  believed  in  those 
days  that  God  took  special  pleasure  in  temples  and  had  to  be 
worshipped  there.  So  in  imitation  of  Solomon,  Christians  built 
churches  everywhere  and  now,  although  they  no  longer  believe 
in  sucli  a  God,  and  no  longer  go  to  church  to  worship  him, 
they  go  there  to  hear  fine  music,  to  listen  or  pretend  to  listen 
to  a  flowery  discourse  on  subjects  that  have  lost  their  interest 
for  them,  and  to  join  in  prayers  which  no  longer  come  from 
the  heart  and  are  addressed  to  God,  but  are  elaborate  compo- 
sitions pronounced  for  the  entertainment  of  the  congregation. 
And  the  force  of  habit  is  so  great  that  churches  are  still  ^ 
built,  and  people  found  to  attend  them,  altliough  the  belief 
which  originally  led  to  their  construction  and  filled  them 
with  sincere,  but  ignorant  worshippers,  has  been  entirely  out- 
grown. 

"Do  you  understand  now  why  it  is  so  difficult  to  change 
our  institutions?  From  the  standpoint  of  Socioland  there  are 
no  excuses  for  churches.  The  cost  of  their  construction  and 
the  salaries  of  the  preachers  are  useless  expenses,  for  they  do 
not  contribute  one  iota  to  the  public  prosperity,  or  even  preach 
a   scientific  code  of  morality. 

"There  would  be  some  excuse  if  an  honest  religious  belief 
was  at  the  foundation  of  church-building  and  church-going,  but 
that  belief  is  nearly  entirely  gone.  No  educated  person  now 
believes  in  the  six  days'  creation,  or  that  God  takes  special 
pleasure  in  expensive  buildings,  or  in  fine  organs,  or  in  famous 
singers,  and  very,  very  few  believe  that  to  be  a  church  member 
secures  a  passport,  to   Paradise. 

"No,  it    all  rests  upon  inherited  habits.     It  is     the    habit   to 


ANCIENT     INSTITUTIONS.  71 

upliold  the  churches,  'jo  they  nre  upheld.  It  is  the  habit  to 
say  grace  before  meals,  to  open  the  sessions  of  legishitures 
with  prayer,  to  ^'rind  the  poor,  to  monopolize  the  land,  to 
cheat  the  government,  to  settle  all  disputes  by  war,  to  spend 
millions  upon  the  army,  and  so  these  things  go  (m  and  no 
one   dreams  of   changing  them. 

"Bnt  let  :iny  one  propose  something  new,  as  for  instance 
any  legislation  which  might  curtail  the  [)Ower  of  the  rich  and 
improve  the  condition  of  the  poor,  or  promote  a  better  distri- 
bution of  the  land,  or  reduce  the  expenses  of  the  army  and 
thus  lighten  the  load  on  the  shoulders  of  the  workers,  or  a 
iliminution  in  the  number  of  the  hours  of  labor,  then  an  outcry 
is  made  by  the  conservative  portion  of  society,  for  such  dan- 
gerous demands  were  never  made  before,  and  if  not  promptly 
checked,  the  social  edifice  will  be  overthrown,  and  civilization 
buried    under  its  ruins." 

I  stopped  abruptly,  for  I  recognized  that  I  had  got  unduly 
excited,  and  I  excused  myself  to  Miss  Bell.  "I  am  afraid,"  I 
said,  "that  yon  .will  think  rae  very  uncourteons  to  allow 
such  a  digression  to  take  up  our  time  this  pleasant  morning, 
when  agreeable  thoughts  alone  ought  to  fill  our  minds.  It 
was  very  wrong  in  me  to  indulge  in  such  fault-finding,  but  I 
must  aoknowleilge  that  I  sometimes  lose  patience  with  these 
nominal  Christians  who  are  trying  to  save  their  souls  and  gain 
the   whole   world   at  the   same  time. 

"What  vexes  me  the  most,  Miss  Bell,  is  that  our  best  men 
and  women,  many  of  whom  earnestly  desire  to  see  the  social 
conditions  improved,  allow  themselves  to  be  turned  aside  from 
an  honest  study  of  the  best  solution  of  the  problems  involved, 
through  fear  that  it  might  destroy  the  respect  now  entertained 
for  these   ancient   institutions." 

"I  do  not  know,"  Miss  Bell  remarked, .  ''that  I  correctly 
understand   you.     I  can  see   that  your  people    do  many    things 


72  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

that  we  would  not  think  of  doing,  and  yon  seem  to  think  that 
they  have  no  better  reason  for  it  except  that  it  used  to  be 
thought  the  right   thing  in   the  past." 

"Precisely  so,"  I  answered.  "Thus  if  our  ancestors  had  never 
gone  to  church,  never  observed  the  Sunday,  the  reasons  now 
given  would  not  be  deemed  sufficient  to  establish  the  custom. 
This  matter  of  church-going  is  in  itself  of  small  importance, 
but  it  shows  the  tendency  to  hold  on  to  old  habits  which 
prevents   more  important  changes." 

"Then,  Mr.  Balcom,  the  trouble  seems  to  be  in  the  conser- 
vative character  of  the  people  as  much  as  in  their  religion." 

"Yes  and  no.  Not  in  the  special  religion,  for  the  Buddhists 
and  the  Mahomeddans  are  yet  more  conservative  than  we  are, 
but  the  influence  of  all  so-called  revealed  religions  is  to  chrys- 
talyze   the  character  and  customs  and  thus  prevent  improvement. 

"At  the  beginning,  when  first  promulgated,  they  are  a  great 
force  to  impel  forward  civilization,  but  when  their  work  is 
accomplished,  and  their  strength  has  spent  itself,  they  cannot 
be  modified  to  suit  the  new  conditions  they  themselves  have 
helped  to  create,  for  they  are  supposed  to  come  directly  from 
God,  so  all  the  influence  of  their  believers  is  exerted  to  pre- 
vent changes  \vhieh  would  leave  all  their  paraphernalia  high, 
dry  and  useless.  The  more  useful  a  religion  has  been  in  the 
past,  the  stronger  is  the  hold  it  has  taken  upon  the  people,  and 
the  more  difficult  it  is  to  hrow  off  the  fetters  it  has  placed 
upon  its  followers. 

"But  let  us  drop  the  subject,  and  now  that  I  have  told  you 
about  our  national  ideas  upon  keeping  the  Sunday,  and  why 
we  go  to  church,   please  tell  ra  e  how  you  spend  the  day  here." 

"Really,  Mr.  Balcom,  there  is  very  little  to  tell,  for  we  have 
no  special  way  of  spending  it,  except  as  a  day  of  rest  and 
pleasure.  It  is  the  day  of  family  gatherings,  of  feasts  and 
picnics.     We  visit  on  that  day  more  than  upon  any  other,  and 


HOUSEKEEPING    IN    SOCIOLAND.  73 

public  entertainments  are  provided  for  by  the  Townsliips,  such  f 
as  music  in  the  parks,  and  dances.  Those  who  are  inlelleciu-  ' 
ally  inclined  can  attend  lectures  and  debates  in  our  public  hallf; 
and  we  have  also  free  excursions  on  the  lake,  rivers  and  rail- 
loads,  although  not  very  often  on  account  of  the  extra  work 
it  gives  to  many  persons  who  thus  lose  their  cliance  of  Sunday 
recreation.  Every  one  spends  his  time  as  he  chooses,  ;ind 
really  the  greatest  difficulty  is  to  select  among  the  many 
pleasant   ways   provided  lor  our   amusement. 

"But   this    is  our   house   we  are  coming   to,  and   I  will    have  > 

the  pleasure  of  introducing  you  to  my  father   and    mother,  and  i 

I     to   the  balance  of  the   family."  — — — ' 


♦  •  t «  ♦ 


CHAPTER  XIL 

HOUSEKEEPING    IN    SOCIOLAND. 

Mr.  Bell  is  a  good-looking  gentleman,  yet  in  the  prime  of 
his  strength  and  activity,  and  impressed  me  as  possessing  great 
will  power  and  a  sound  judgment.  He  is  heavily  built,  with 
a  roun4  head,  keen  gray  eyes,  a  strong  face,  every  lineament 
well  defined.  His  wife  is  quick  and  impulsive,  slender,  with 
a  refined  face,  and  black  hair  and  hazel  eyes.  They  have  two 
sons,  one  older  and  the  other  younger  than  their  daughter. 
With  the  oldest  one,  a  thriving  young  lawyer,  I  struck  quite 
an  acquaintance  later  on. 

I  was  received  very  pleasantly  by  the  family,  and  it  seemed 
quite  natural  that  the  daughter  should  have  invited  me  to 
spend    the   day   at   their  house. 

"We  are  very  glad  to   see  you,    Mr.   Balcom,"  Mrs.  Bell  said 


74  THE    IFUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

to  me  after  1  had  been  introdtioed.  "Mary  has  told  ns  about 
jou  and  how  interested  she  is  in  all  you  tell  her  abont  the 
older  countries.  It  is  somethinfr  new' !to  her  to  ^  hear  about 
them,  just  as  a  great  deal  of  what  you  see  here  must  be  new 
to  you  also." 

I  assented  to  h^r  rc-mrks,  and  thinkin'j:  'that  it  would  be  a 
good  opportunity  to  learn  somethins;  of  the  way  in  which 
their  new  institutions  affected  the  female  portion  of  the  popu- 
lation, T  turned  the  conversation  in  that  direction  by  asking 
Mrs.  Bell  if  they  did  not  find  it  very  difficult  to  hire  house 
help   in   Socioland. 

*'Yes,   of  course,"  she  answered.     "It  is  not  only  difficult,  but 
it    is   impossible  here   to    have     servants     such    as      you     are 
I       used   to.     Whoever   we  get  to  help   us   in  the  house    we  must 
treat  as  one   of  the   family.     Nobody  would    submit   here  to  eat 
at  a  different  table,  receive   their  company   in   the  kitchen,   or 
sleep   in  a  cupboard  under  the   roof.     You    see    our  system   of 
apprenticeship   has    a  great  influence     upon    the     character    of 
J  !  our  girls.     In  the   first  place,   the    Commonwealth     controls   all 
''their  time   from  the   age   of  fourteen     until     they   are   twenty. 
During  that  time  these  girls  are   much  thrown    together,   often 
indeed   dwell  in  the  same   house,  eat  at    thjs  same    table,  sleep 
in   the  same  room,   work  in   the  same  department,  andiiassociate 
in  the   same  pleasures.     It  is  not   to   be  expected  that   girls  so 
trained    would   be  willing  to  accept  a     menial's     position  in    a 
private  family,   especially  as    there   are  plenty   of    other    occu- 
pations open  to    their  choice,   for  everyone  coming  out  of  the 
training  school  is   well   fitted  to  earn  her    living   in  whatever 
direction  she  may  prefer.     There     are     girls  who     like    to    do 
house- work,  and   are]  willing  to    help  in     private   families,    but 
they  must   be  treated    as   equnls  and    not  as   servants,    and  we 
have  to  pay   them  as  good  a  salary    as   they    would    earn    as 
book-keepers  or   clerks  in  a   store." 


HOUSEKEEPING    IN    SOCIOLAND.  75 

"That,  Madam,"  T  rejoined,  "must  be  very  pleasant  for  the 
fjirJs,  but  cannot  prove  so  satisfactory  for  those  ladies  who 
must  either  do  their  work  without  hel(),  or  must  submit  to 
close  association  with  persons  who  may  not  be  at  all  congenial 
10  their   tastes." 

"I  think  tluit  (m  tho  whole,  Mr.  Balcom,  our  system  is 
preferable  to  yours,  at  least  so  far  as  I  understand  the  way  in 
which  servants  are  treated  in  other  countries.  If  idleness  was 
the  chief  aim  of  woman,  and  happiness  was  reached  by  com- 
ing in  daily  contact  with  persons  without  education  or  culture 
it  would  be  diflerent,  but  we  would  strongly  object  to  brin<.ing 
into  our  houses  the  class  of  persons  on  whom  your  women 
depend  for  the  help  they  believe  they  must  have.  You  may 
relegate  your  servants  to  the  kitchen,  and  build  back  stairs  for 
their  especial  use,  and  keep  them  at  arm's  length  as  much  as 
possible,  but  tiie  fact  remains  that  tlicy  are  a  discordant  ele- 
ment' in  the  household,  and  while  they  may  cater  to  the 
luxurious  habits  of  your  female  population,  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  there  slx)uld  be  so  much  dissatisfaction  as 
we    hear  exists  with  your  servant  system. 

"Your  women  do  not  seem  to  look  at  this  question  in  that 
light.  They  hire  help  to  do  their  work,  and  if  it  is  done  in 
a  satisfactory  manner  and  at  a  reasonable  price,  they  are 
willing  to  accept  the  annoyance  of  the  daily  contact  as  a 
necessary   result. 

"To  us,  who  have  never  been  used  to  the  class  from  whom 
you  draw  your  servants,  for  it  does  not  exist  here,  the  an- 
noyance would  be  much  greater,  and  I  would  never  consent 
to  bring  into  my  home  a  person  with  whom  I  would  be 
unwilling  to  associate  on  terms  of  equality." 

**I  know,  Madam,"  I  answered,  "that  there  is  much  com- 
plaint at  home  about  the  servants.  In  the  United  States 
labor  is   so  much  better  paid    than    in   Europe,  and    so    many 


76  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

more  chances  are  open  to  the  women  to  otherwise  earn  their 
living,  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  immigration,  from  the 
older  conntries,  the  supply  would  fall  short  of  the  demand. 
As  it  is,  our  help  occupies  a  middle  position  hetween  your^ 
and  that  of  Europe.  We  have  many  ladies  who  would  prefer 
to  do  their  work  alone,  but  who  find  that  they  cannot  stand 
it  and  at  the  same  time  keep  their  place  in  society.  Their 
health  and  strength  fails  them,  and  they  have  to  get  help 
as  a  measure  of  self-preservation.  How  is  it  that  yon  can 
manage  it  here,  and  aie  satisfied  with  all  the  burden  of 
housekeeping  resting   upon   you?" 

''Mr.  Balcora,  the  burden  of  housekeeping  is  largely  what 
we  make  it  ourselves,  and  if  it  is  too  heavy  for  us,  it  is  usu- 
ally our  own  fault.  You  will  find  that  those  ladies  whose 
strength  fails  in  doing  their  work,  are  trying  to  live  in  the 
same  style  as  those  who  keep  help.  That  is  a  pretty  big  un- 
dertaking, but  there  is  worse  yet.  Your  leaders  in  society 
not  only  have  servants,  but  they  have  many  more  than  they 
need,  and  are  using  their  power  in  trying  to  outshine  their 
less  fortunate  sistprs,  who,  unwilling  to  be  outdone,  put  out 
all  their  efforts  to  make  what  they  call  a  respectable  appear- 
ance. Is  it  surprising  if  thes"-  find  it  a  hopeless  struggle, 
and  if  they  are  compelled  to  hire  help  to  enable  them  to 
make  even  a  faint  show  of  keeping  up  with  the  inflated  style 
of  living  expected  from  all  those  who  have  some  pretension 
to  education   and    culture? 

-  "We  have  got  rid  of  that  pernicious  influence.  We  have 
no  inordinately  rich  class  to  set  up  a  false  standard  of  life, 
no  fashionable  class  to  create  useless  wants  and  to  inaugurate 
senseless  fashions.  Our  fools — and  I  am  sorry  to  say  we 
have  some  yet  among  us — are  in  the  minority,  and  instead 
of  setting  up  for  models,  as  with  you,  have  to  conform  their 
conduct  ^to  that   of  the  sensible  portion    of    the  community. 


HOUSEKEEPING     IN    SOCIOLAND.  77 

*'You  am'*',  understand  that  this  difibrence  in  our  standard 
of  living:,  which  leads  us  to  eschew  all  unnecessary  dis])hiy,-is 
a  'great  help  to  us.  We  aim  to  retain  all  the  comfort  possible, 
but  those  willing  to  live  plainly  can  attain  a  great  deal  of 
comfort  with  a  very  reasonable  amount  of  work.  Besides,  it 
is  the  policy  of  the  Commonwealth  to  make  life  in  Socioland 
as]  pleasant  as  possible,  and  the  lightening  of  the  labors  of 
ihe  women  has  not  been  forgotten  in  planning  their  public 
institutions.  One  of  the  most  unpleasant  features  of  house- 
keeping does  not  exist  among  us.  1  mean  the  washing  and 
ironing  of  clothes.  This  is  done  free  of  charge  by  the  Town- 
sliips.  In  every  Town  there  are  public  laundries  where  that 
work  is  done,  and  every  week  the  cart  comes  around  iand  takes 
away  our  soiled  clothes  and  brings  them  back  when  clean.  It 
is  a  great  relief  and  a  great  saving  of  time,  for  it  is  a  work 
which  can  be  done  much  better  and  quicker  in  buihlings  which 
are  fitted  with  proi)er  mechanical  appliances,  than  it  can  be 
done  at  home." 

"I  would  have  expected,"  I  remarked,  **to  see  such  work 
done  by  private  co-operation,  but  I  find  that  the  system  does 
not   meet   with  much  favor   with  you." 

"No,  it  does  not,"  answered  Mrs.  Bell.  "You  see,  co-ope- 
rative laundries  would  only  benefit  a  portion  of  the  population, 
and  cleanliness,  which  is  said  to  be  next  to  godliness,  ought  to 
be  in  reach  of  every  one,  especially  of  those  who  have  the  least 
time  and  money  to  spare.  We  have  some  co-operative  enter- 
prises, but  the  people  do  not  seem  ready  to  adopt  the  system 
in  its  closest  relations  where  it  would  cause  too  much  friction. 
We  are  making  slow  progress  in  that  direction,  and  every 
year  some  families  unite  their  fortunes  and  keep  house  toge- 
ther, but  such  experiments  require  for  success  special  qualifi- 
cations in  character  which  are  not  yet  common,  although  they 
are  certainly  increasing  among  us. 


r 


78  THE    FUTURE    OOMMOI^WEALTH. 

/  "But  it  is  in  public  co-operation  that  we  are  succeeding  best. 
For  instance,  by  its  help  we  have  inaugurated  a  reform  in 
visiting  which  has  added  to  our  leisure  and  enjoyment,  and 
at  the  same  time  reduced  our  expenses  and  the  labor  of 
housekeeping.  We  have  abolished  the  private  parlor  at  home, 
and  in  its  place  the  To.vns  have  built  Club  houses  where  all 
our  visiting  is  done.  Instead  of  spending  much  time  and 
money  in  keeping  the  best  room  ready  to  receive  company, 
and  having  our  time  taken  up  in  making  or  receiving  calls, 
we  see  each  other  at  the  Club,  where  comfortable  rooms  are 
always  open,  and  where  we  go  whenever  we  feel  disposed  and 
can  spare   the  time. 

"This  is  comparatively  a  late  innovation,  and  is  the  result 
of  our  peculiar  condition.  We  found  that  we  were  drifting 
into  a  position  where  we  must  cease  to  visit  at  all  except 
our  most  intimate  friends,  or  let  visiting  take  more  of  our 
time  than  was  convenient  under  the  circumstances.  So  we  put 
our  heads  together,  and  after  full  discussion  decided  that  the 
best  rerjedy  was  for  the  Towns  to  erect  buildings  for  social 
purposes,  and  very  soon  one  was  built  for  an  experiment. 
The  results  were  so  satisfactory  that  now  they  are  found  all 
over  the  land,  and  formal  calls  are  no  longer  known  in  So- 
cioland.  These  Club  houses  are  provided  with  comfortable 
parlors,  music  and  reading  rooms,  and  are  open  to  all.  They 
not  only  relieve  us  from  the  tediousness  of  formal  calls,  but 
furnish  a  pleasant  place  to  spend  a  few  hours,  and  help  to 
keep  up   the  social  life   among   us. 

"Thus  you  see,  Mr.  Balcom,  that  we  have  learned  to  relieve 
ourselves  from  too  great  a  pressure  at  both  ends  of  the  social 
scale,  and  intend  to  make  more  progress  in  the  same  direction. 
The  aimj?  of  the  people  have  much  to  do  with  the  march  of 
improvement,  and  we  must  expect  that  ours  will  take  a  dif- 
ferent course   from   what  it   has  followed  in  other  countries. 


HOUSEKEEPING    IN    80CI0LAND.  79 

"In  Furope,  for  instance,  the  rich  have  mastered  the  art  of 
enioving  life,  and  of  enhancing  hy  all  means  in  their  power 
the  pleasure  of  their  existence,  while  all  the  efforts  of  the 
poor  have  been  directed  toward  entering  to  that  desire  of 
the  rich,  so  as  to  earn  the  necessary  means  to  satisfy  their  own 
wants.  The  result  has  h«-en  that  the  genius  and  labor  of  that 
country  have  been  turned  in  ihe  direction  of  striving  to  please 
the  taste  and  gratifying  the  whims  of  the  owners  of  accu- 
mulated wealth.  In  your  country,  its  immense  resources  have 
encour;iLM*(l  the  creation  and  acquisition  of  wealth,  and  in 
that  direction  your  powers   are  turned. 

"Here  our  aims  are  changed.  We  have  no  rich  class  to 
cater  to,  nor  any  prospect  of  accumulating  large  amounts  of 
wealth.  It  is  not  the  individuals  but  the  Commonwealth  that 
is  rich,  and  our  efforts  are  directed  to  the  increase  of  the 
comfort  and  happiness  of  all,  women  not  excepted.  Up  to 
this  time,  the  Commonwealth  has  had  enough  to  do  in  placing 
within  the  reach  of  all  its  citizens  those  every-day  comforts 
which  in  your  land  are  the  prerogative  only  of  those  who 
are  said  to  be  in  easy  circumstances,  but  we  are  fast  in- 
creasing in  public  wealth,  and  expect  soon  to  make  further 
improvements  which  will  make  life  still  more  pleasant  and 
enjoyable. 

"When  that  dme  comes,  the  claims  of  the  women  will  not 
be  forgotten,  for  here  we  are  a  political  as  well  as  a  social 
power,  and  we  have  ns  much  voice  as  the  men  in  the 
management  of  the  Commonwealth,  but  really  1  must  say 
that  we  have  little  need  to  exert  our  influence,  for  the  men 
are  very  considerate  of  us,  and  are  always  studying  means  by 
which  they  can  make  our  tasks  easier  or  our  lives  more 
pleasant." 

Just  then  we  were  called  to  dinner  by  the  younger  brother, 
and   adjourned    to  the   next  room   where  a  plain  meal  was  ready 


80  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

for  us.  Miss  Mary  and  her  brothers  had  quietly  gone  out  of 
tlie  room  while  we  were  talking  and  had  set  the  table.  We 
all  sat  around  the  board,  and  wera  soon  engaged  in  a  general 
conversation  which  was  very  interesting  and  lively,  but  which 
did  not  run  on  such  topics  as  I  have  been  writing  to  you, 
and   on    that  account  I   will    not   try  to   reproduce  it  here. 


OHAPTBH    XIII. 

A     TRUE    COMMONWEALTH. 

After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  the  garden,  and  soon  Mr.  Bell 
remarked  that  he  judged  from  my  conversation  that  I  was 
interested  in  their  public  policy,  and  that  if  I  wished  he 
would  explain  some  things  which  he  thought  might  interest 
me.  Of  course  I  was  glad  to  avail  myself  of  such  an  oppor- 
tunity, and  expressed;  my  willingness  to  hear  whatever  he 
might   wish   to   say. 

"The  United  States  is  a  very  rich  country,"  he  commenced^ 
"but  it  cannot  by  any  means  be  called  a  Commonwealth,  for 
all  the  means  of  production  are  held  in  private  hands,  and 
very  few  or  none  are  held  in  common.  We  believe  in  a  true 
Commonwealth,  and  aim  to  make  it  rich  so  as  to  benefit  the 
whole  people.  As  wealth  cannot  be  created  by  individual 
effort  alone,  but  is  the  result  of  the  combined  industry  of  the 
whole  people,  it  is  but  common  justice  that  as  far  as  possible 
the   whole   nation  should  profit  by   its    increased  production. 

"As  a  result  of  your  extreme  individualism,  you  have  no 
public  wealth  to  be  handed  down  from  generation  to  gene- 
ration, and  the  child  of  the  poor   man  does  not  benefit  in   any 


A    TEUE    COMMONWEALTH,  8^ 

degree  by  the  labor  of  his  ancestors,  for  long  before  his  birth 
all  tlie  vahiahle  propertv  in  the  country  has  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  capitalists,  and  he  has  to  work  just  as  hard  to 
supply  his  wants  as  his  parents  d^  before  him.  The  laborer 
draws  his  wages  day  by  day,  ft  is  truf,  but  the  capitalist  draws 
his  interest,  or  his  rent,  or  bis  profit,  and  besides  reaps  the 
whole  benefit  of  the  increased  value  of  all  investments,  or 
what  .T-<*  call  the  unearned  increment,  which  always  follows 
■the  gradual   improvement  of  the   country. 

"Such   a  condition   of  things  is  not  just,   and  the  philosophy 
on    which  it  is   baaed  has  been  entirely  repudiated   by  us.     We 
believe  it  is   both    the  protecting  care  of  society,    and   the    co- 
operation  of    capital     and    3<ibor   which     makes   this    unearned    k 
increment'  pofiBible,    anVl  that  the  whole    Commonweal*!*'   ought    I 
\ito   profit'^  by   it'   as   far  as  conditions   permit.  .-^_«--^ 

'^Arid*"  naw    1^  me  explain  to  you  hov/  we   went   to    work  to 
establish   what  we  consider  a  true    Commonwealth.  :;==:^»«>- 

"TKe  founders  of  Socioland,  as  you  know,  came  from  the^ 
iJnite^  States.  They  had  seen  in  less  than  two  centuries  the 
wliole  Wealth  of  tbfe  nation  passa^to  the  hands  of  a  privileged 
class.  The  land  was  held  by  a  few  while  multitudes  wer« 
homeless;  gold  and  silver  mines  yielded  their  riches  into  the 
hands  of  a  few  millionaires,  who  conjointly  with  the  money- 
kings  controlled  the  financial  policy  of  the  nation;  th«  coal 
mines  were  in  the  hands  of  monopolists  who  checked  the 
output  so  as  to  create  an  artificial  scarcity;  the  railroads,  in- 
stead of  being  managed  in  the  interests  of  the  people,  were 
manipulated  for  purposes  of  speculation,  or  combined  so  as  to 
prevent  competition.  Everywhere,  private  individuals,  either 
singly,  or  banded  in  litnited  numbers,  were  striving  to  accumu- 
late fortunes  by  compelling  the  consumer  to  pay  them  tribute, 
and  using  all  lawful  means  to  give  fictitious  value  to  the 
property  in    their  hands. 


82  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

"These  results   were    not    due     to   any     of    tlie    causes  from 

which  the  eppressed  {)eo[)les   of    Europe    had    sufTered.     Tliere 

was    no  aristocracy   with    vested   rights,  no   kings   to  give    away 

the   people's  suhstance   to  court   favorites,  no    standing  army    to 

prey  on    the   wealth   of  the   nation.     They    were    tlie  "  outcome 

of  perfect  freedom    in  competition,     and     of  the    policy    which 

\  had  thrown  open  to  all  comers  the  chances  of  taking  and  keeping 

I  possession   of  all  the    means    of    production.     Individualism    in 

1  economics  had  run  mad,    and  the  weakest  members   of    society 

{  had  been   crowded   to  the   wall  in   the   unequal    struggle. 

"Our  predecessors  decided    rightly     that    they  would    provide 
against  such   results   here,    and    that   measures    should   be  taken 
\    to    prevent  the     monopoly   by     individuals    of    the     means    of 
lpro(luction. 

"The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  create  a  fund  which 
would  enable  the  Commonwealth  to  carry  on  its  own  business 
enterprises.  That  was  not  an  easy  undertaking,  for  when  they 
came  here  they  brought  but  little  wealth  with  them,  and 
what  they  did  bring,  was  private  property.  The  Commonwealth 
could,  of  course,  have  taxed  some  of  that  property,  or  it  could 
have  borrowed  it,  but  either  course  would  have  been  opposed 
to  the  policy  they  wanted  to  inaugurate.  Taxation  in  any 
form  is  always  objectionable,  and  borrowing  is  worse,  for  none 
can  lend  but  the  rich,  and  it  is  placing  a  mortgage  upon  the 
labor  of  the  country  for  their  benefit.  Both  borrowing  and 
taxation  are  crude  methods  practised  by  nations  ignorant  of 
the  laws  which  ought  to  control  social  interests,  and  would 
long  ago  have  been  abolished,  were  it  not  that  through 
their  agency  the  rich  contrive  to  throw  all  the  financial  burdens 
on  those  who  labor. 

•*Xo,  the  first  settlers  managed  the  business  of  the  Common- 
wealth precisely  as  a  wise  young  man  starting  in  life  would 
have  managed  his  own.     They  husbanded  their  resources,    and 


A    TRUE    COMMONWEALTH.  83 

topt  their  expenses  below  their  receipts.  The  first  money 
which  came  into  their  hands  was  made  by  providing  the  people 
with  a  medinm  of  exchange.  Treasury  notes  were  issued  and 
made  a  legal  tender  for  all  debts,  and  no  other  monej-  was 
"cognized  as  having  a  legal  existence.  Then  the  land  ^s 
thrown  open  for  settlement,  and  rights  of  occupancy  sold  which 

helped    to   fill  the   Treasury. 

4ith  the  funds  thus  secured,  the.  Commonwealth  started 
Ihe  wholesale  trade  and  the  business  of  common  carrier.  Ol 
lourse  it  was  slow  work  at  first,  but  it  was  for  the  common 
interest  to  see  the  public  fund  increase  and  prosper  and  by 
,ood  management  and  economy  the  profits  accumulated  till 
Lple   means  were  provided  for  all   public    -'"P"'- 

"Yet  it  took  nearly  twenty-five  years  before  the  Common 
wealth  felt  rich  enough  to  commence  repaying  to  its  citizens 
the  returns  secured  by  their  abstinence,  but  now  that  we  are 
receiving  the  full  benefits  accrued  to  us  by  the  wise  policy 
,f  oir  parents,  we  can  bless  them  for  the  rich  inheritance 
hey  have  secured  to  us.  They  have  planted  the  seed,  and 
It  has  grown  and  prospered,    and    every   year    it  .gives    ns  a 

nlentiful  harvest.  .    - 

"Now  Mr.  Balcom,  if  you  will  tell  me  what  is  the  amount 
of  taxation  in  the  United  State.,  I  will  try  and  show  you 
the  difference  it  makes  to    the    working  people    between    our 

T>oHcv  iind  yonrs." 

"I  cannot"  tell  you  positively,"  I  answered,  "for  we  have  city, 
county,  state  and  federal  taxes,  and  they  are  levied  in  so  many 
dtffereit  wavs  that  there  are  no  means  of  learning     the  exact     j 
loun.  of  our  taxation,    but    1  suppose  that  each   P--   -»; 
contribute  at  least  twenty  dollars   a  year    to    support  our  dif- 

Xkf~;'t;mate    as    proximately    correct,"    continued 
Mr.    Bell!  '"and  if  there  is  one  able-bodied  man    to  every  four 


m  THE     FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

persons,    we   find  that  each   one  has>   to  produce  eighty    dollars  a 
year  to   help  pay  public   expenses. 

'•Here   we   have   no  taxes  at  all.     Instead  the  Commonwealths  - 
has  an   income  over    and     above   all   expenses     of    twenty-five 
dollars   to   each   person,    or  one   hundred   dollars    to  each   able- 
bodied   man.  ~   -^J 

"We  have  now  here  about  one  million  inhabitants,  and  our 
surplus  income  is  over  twenty-five  million  dollars,  earned  in 
our  import  and  export  and  wholesale  trade,  our  transportation 
agencies  and  our  insurance  policies.  As  the  Commonwealth 
has  accumulated  over  four  hundred  million  dollars  of  capital, 
you  can  see  that  our  surplus  income  only  represents  a  fair 
interest   on  the   capital  invested,  and  not  one  cent  for   profit. 

"This  income,  earned  in  common,  is  spent  for  the  common 
.good  and  in  promoting  the  comfort  of  all.  A  large  proportion 
is  re-invested  every  year  in  improvements  calculated  to  increase 
the  producive  power  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  in  developing 
its  natural  resources.  What  iu  your  land  is  left  to  private 
enterprise,  acting  purely  from  selfish  impulses,  and  regardless 
of  the  best  interests  of  the  nation,  is  done  by  us  under  the 
broader  principle  of  a  wise  and  scientific  development  of  our 
producing  power,  and  no  money  is  spent  in  permanent  impro- 
vements until  a  thorough  scientific  investigation  has  been  made 
to  see  that  they  co-ordinate  with  the  plans  which  have  been 
previously  decided  upon  as  oflering  the  best  prospect  of  pro- 
moting public  success.  The  industrial  development  of  Socioland 
bears  to  that  of  the  United  States  the  same  relation  that  the 
systematic  drainage  of  a  large  tract  of  land  would  bear  to 
the  drainage  uf  the  same  land  by  a  number  of  individuals  or 
private  corporations,  each  working  for  private  advantage  and  in  ; 
competition  with  the  interest   of  others. 

''Besides  the  capital  we  thus  invest  each  year,  a  large  amount 
of  our  surplus  earnings   is  spent  for  the  direct  comfort  of  the 


A    TRUE    COMMONWEALTH.  85 

people?.     It   is  now  over  one    Iialf,  and  as   our  prolnclng  power 
kicreases,  the   proportion    we   can    thus  spend  will  increase  also. 

*'My  wife  told  you  about  our  public  laundries  and  our  Club 
houses,  and  you  have  seen  our  parks  and  know  of  our  schools, 
but  vou  may  not  know  that  the  bread  cart  furnishes  to  all 
the  citizens,  free  of  cost,  all  the  bread  they  wish  to  consume, 
or  that  both  gas  and  water  are  free  in  every  house,  or  that 
we  pension  the  aged  and  the  needy,  and  have  free  hospitals 
and  asylums. 

**Thus  you  see,  Mr.  Balcom,  we  have  reason  to  congratulate 
ourselves  upon  the  results  of  the  policy  inaugurated  by  the 
founders  of  Socioland,  but  there  is  another  advantage  which  it 
is  difficult  to  estimate  in  dollars  and  cents,  and  yet  which 
must  not  be  forgotten.  It  is  the  great  reduction  in  the  price 
of  all  necessaries  of  life.  A  reduction  which  has  not  been 
effected  by  forcing  down  the  wages  of  the  working  men,  but 
by  eliminating  from  our  Commonwealth  all  methods  through 
which  one  class  of  people  can  live  at  the  expense  of  the  other. 
Rent^  interest  and  profit  are  kept  within  reasonable  bounds 
and  the  heavy  load  they  place  on  the  shoulders  of  labor  has 
almost  disappeared. 

"You  can  see  now  the  difference  in  the  prospects  of  a  child 
who  is  born  here  and  one  born  in  other  countries.  If  born  in 
the  United  States,  as  soon  as  he  commences  to  produce,  he\yill 
be  taxed  eighty  dollars  a  year  to  maintain  the  government, 
and  in  return  has  been  educated  at  public  expense,  and  will 
be  protected  in  his  civil  and  political  rights.  The  country  he 
is  ushered  into  has  long  ago  passed  into  the  hands  of  indivi- 
duals or  corporations  who  look  upon  such  as  he  as  tools  in 
their  hands  to  increase  their  wealth.  His  predecessors,  instead 
of  saving  and  investing  property,  borrowed  money  and  left  it 
as  a   mortgage  on   his   work   in  the  form   of  a  public   debt. 

''Of  Commonwealth  there   is  none,  and  while   there  is  a  large 


86  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

amoimt  of  producive  capital,  it  is  all  in  private  hands,  and! 
the  child  of  poor  parents  has  little  to  be  thankful  for  that 
his  lot  in  life  has  fallen  in  what  is  called  a  civilized  country 
for  all  that  which  makes  ]ife  desirable  is  already  appropriated, 
and  his  education  only  makes  more  galling  the  load  he  has 
to  bear, 

"Here  the  child  finds  himself  in  entirely  different  conditions-, 
j  No  taxes  to  pay,  no  idle  class  to  support,  no  monopolies  to 
\  levy  tolls  on  his  labor.  Instead  a  well-invested  public  fund  of 
four  hundred  million  dollars,  of  which  he  is  a  share-holder,  and 
which  will  help  him  to  raise  himself  to  the  position  his  na- 
tural capacities  enable  him,  to  occupy.  It  will  not  destroy  hi& 
incentive  to  improvement,  or  make  him  the  equal  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  but  it  will  insure  him  a  standing  place  in  the  com- 
munity, from  which  he  can  raise  himself  as  high  as  his  abilities 
will  allow  him. 

"All  thes6  results  are  attained  without  curtailing  individual  - 
enterprise,  or  preventing  any  one  from  getting  all  the  property 
they  can  use  to  their  advantage,  or  which  is  necessary  ta 
minister  to  their  comfort.  It  is  simply  due  to  a  policy  which 
prevents  the  monopoly  of  natural  resources^  and  the  exces-sive 
accumulation  of   wealth   in  private    hands." 

1  have  here,  uiy  dear  Harry,  given  you  more  the  substance 
than  the  form  of  our  conversation,  for  we  spoke  of  many  other 
things,  and  the  ladies  were  not  so  entirely  left  out  as  my 
account  would  make  it  appear,  for  in  this  advanced  state  the 
women  are  interested  in  public  affairs,  and  not  only  vote,  but 
hold  positions  of  trust.  But  the  conversation  was  mo>tly  carried 
on  by  Mr.  Bell,  his  wife  and  children  having  a  natural  respect 
for  his  opinions,  and  allowing  him  to  explain  the  working  of 
their  institutions,  only  occasionally  putting  in  a  remark  here 
and  there. 


A    PLEASANT    RIDK  «7 

CHAPTER    XIV, 

A    PLEASANT    RIDE. 

TowMnl  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  Miss  Bell  proposed  that, 
if  1  thonsiit  I  would  enjoy  it,  we  take  a  ride  to  the  park 
and    out  in  the  suburbs   of  the   Town. 

Of  course  such  an  offer  was  not  to  be  refused,  and  as  Mr. 
Bell  kteps  a  very  neat  turnout,  not  a  long  space  of  time 
«lapsed   till    I    found   myself  seated   at    her   side. 

Miss  Bell  held  the  reins,  and  turning  to  me  said:  "I  have 
offered  to  take  you  to  the  park,  Mr.  Balcom,  but  if  you  prefer 
it   we  can  drive  some  other  way." 

"No,  Miss  Mary,"  I  answered.  "I  place  myself  in  your  hands 
and   I   am   sure   I    shall  enjoy  myself  wlierever  we    go." 

"Then  if  you  leave  it  with  me,"  said  Miss  Bell,  "I  will 
first  take  you  to  the  park  that  you  may  see  how  we  enjoy 
ourselves,   and   after  we  will    drive  out   in    the  country." 

So  we  drove  along  the  street  where  Mr.  Beil  lives,  and 
soon  reached  the  river  on  which  Spencer  is  built.  The  park, 
situated  on  that  river,  is  very  large  and  is  left  quite  wild- 
Except  at  the  entrance,  where  a  portion  is  laid  out  in  walks 
aud  drives,  and  ornamented  with  lawns  and  flowers,  it  has  been 
left  almost  entirely  in  its  natural  state,  except  tliat  roads  and 
paths  have  been  cut  in  available  places,  and  rough  benches 
and   tublj-i  constructed  for   the  convenience  of  the  picnickers. 

The  park  contains  also  a  large  music  stand  with  a  dancing 
floor  attached  to  it,  where  a  merry  and  noisy  crowd  way  en- 
joying itself  heartily.  Merry-go-rounds,  swings,  shooting  galleries 
and  all  the  many  amusements  usually  found  at  fairs  were 
there  in  abundance,  and  the  whole  place  seemed  to  be  given 
up  to  harmless  enjoyment. 


88  THE    FUTURE    COMMaNWEALTH. 

The  woods  and  lawns  were  full  of  pleasure  parties,  many 
seeming  to  have  spent  the  clay  there,  having  set  up  their 
croquets  and  hammocks,  and  otherwise  having  made  themselves- 
entirely  at  home. 

After  taking  in  the  sights  in  the  park,  we  struck  out  for 
the  country  on  a  road  skirting  the  river.  The  day  was  beau- 
tiful, the  air  had  become  cool,  and  as  we  sped  along  at  a 
fine  rate  I  found  my  position  very  pleasant,  and  as  I  leaned 
back  on  my  seat»  thinking  of  all  I  had  heard  and  seen  since 
my  arrival  in  Spencer,  1  seemed  to  realize  more  and  more 
the  advantages  enjoyed  by  the  people  of  ihis  favored  Common- 
wealth,  and  turning  to  ray   companion,  1  said  to    her: 

"Miss  Mary,  you  mast  be  very  happy  here,  for  your  posi- 
tion in  life  is  pleasant  indeed,  and  you  live  in  a  community 
where  the  people  certainly  possess  the  art  of  enjoying 
themselves." 

Miss  Bell  paused  a  moment  before  answering,  seeming  to  be 
in  deep  thought,  but  finally  remarked.  "Yes  my  life  is  very 
happy,  but  really  I  have  never  given  the  subject  much  thought. 
You  see  our  days  flow  on  so  evenly  that  we  enjoy  our  hap- 
piness as  a  matter  of  course.  All  our  lives  are  pleasant  here,^ 
mine  no  more   than    those  of  the  people  with    whom     I  live." 

"But  Miss  Bell,"  1  remarked,  "has  all  your  life  been  happy? 
Did  you  not  have  an  unpleasant  time  when  you  left  your 
home  and  went  to  live  among  strangers?  Please  tell  me  a  little 
about  your  early  life  and  your  school  days." 

"There  is  really  very  little  to  tell,  Mr.  Balcom.  I  think 
here  every  one  is  kind  to  children  and  tries  to  make  them 
happy.  My  earliest  recollections  are  of  the  pleasant  time  I 
had  with  my  parents  while  yet  a  little  girl,  of  long  walks  and 
rides,  of  helping  mother  in  the  lightest  tasks  of  house-work,  and 
of  how  proud  I  was  when  I  could  feel  that  I  had  been  of 
some   use.     Then  my  parents   helped  rae  to  learn  how    to   read 


A     PLEASANT     RIDE.  89 

an.l  write,  :inJ  I  soon  :if.[>reci;it,ed  the  ple.isiire  1  received 
from  study,  so  as  I  grew  older  and  itegan  to  understand  the 
;vh'ant:\-'es  of  knowledge,  1  was  eager  enough  to  get  all  ihe 
information   within    ray   reach. 

"I  never  went  to  school  until  I  was  ten  years  of  age,  and 
by  that  time  i  had  acquired  witli  a  little  help  from  my 
p:irents  the  rudiments  of  an  English  ediication,  and  had  gone 
as  far  as  1  could  without  teaciiers.  !^o  1  Wi;s  glad  to  receive 
help  from  competent  persons  who  had  ample  time  to  devote 
to  me.  In  school  I  found  myself  among  children  of  my  age 
or  older,  who  were  also  interested  in  their  studies  and  needed 
no  urging  from  their  te:icliers.  Yes  indeed,  those  were  [dea- 
sant  days  when  we  commenced  to  drink  deep  at  the  fountain 
of  knowledge,  an,l  our  minds  began  to  appreciate  the  beauties 
and  wonders  of  nature.  Ilotany,  astronomy,  chemistry,  physic, 
history,  geogrjiphy,  were  t;i light  i(»  us,  and  we  liked  our 
studies  so  well  that  the  time  seemed  far  too  short  for  all  we 
wanted    to  learn." 

"But,"     I     remarked,    "were    not    those      interesting     studies 

mixed  with  some  not  so  pleasant?     What   about   many  subjects 

which  are  not   supi»osed  to    have  much    interest  for  young   girls, 

r    but  which    they    must      learn     if    they    want    to   be   thoroughly 

\^_eiiucated?" 

"Of  course,  Mr.  Balcom,  all  studies  did  not  liave  the  same 
interest  for  us,  but  wo  never  were  requested  to  learn  what 
wn  did  not  want  to.  For  instance,  if  a  scholar  did  not  wish 
to  study  arithmetic,  the  teacher  would  explain  to  him  its  use, 
and  how  much  he  would  need  it  in  his  work,  but  no  ofFori 
would  be  made  to  com[)cI  him,  and  if  he  could  not  see  that 
it  would  be  for  his  advantage  to  study  it,  the  teacher  would 
simply  tell  him  that  he  was  the  one  to  decide,  for  if  a  mis- 
take was  made  he    would    be   the  one   to   snIFer  from   it. 

"Some  special  studies,  as  geometry    and     algebra     were     only 


90  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

undertaken    by  those    who    had  a   taste   for    them,    and  teachers 
were  provided  for  those   who   had  a   taste   for  artistic   pursuits. 

"And  thus  the  few  years  tiiat  were  spent  at  school  passed 
all    too  quickly,    and   left  a   very    pleasant  impression    behind." 

"From  what  you  tell  me/'  I  said,  ''[  judge  that  the  same 
difference  exists  between  the  methods  of  education  here  and 
ours,  as  exists  between  all  our  f)ublic  institutions.  With  us, 
scholars  are  made  to  study,  whether  interested  or  not,  and  no 
efforts  are  made  to  teach  them  tlu;  benefits  that  will  follow 
from  their  education,  except  that  it  is  the  usual  and  proper 
course  to  take  for  children  in  tiicir  social  jiosition.  You,  on 
the  other  hand,  induce  the  children  to  study  by  helping  them 
to  increase  their  knowledge  of  those  things  which  interest 
them,  and  by  explaining  to  them  the  help  they  will  receive 
in  their  future  carreers  from  the  knowledge  that  is  placed 
within  their   reach." 

"I  do  not  know  how  it  is  in  other  countries,"  replied  Miss 
Bell,  "but  I  know  that  in  Socioland  very  litte  compulsion  is 
ever  used.  We  are  told  that  if  we  desire  to  attain  certain 
ends,  certain  means  must  be  used,  and  we  are  left  free  to  use 
those  means  or  neglect  them  as  we  choose.  But  lot  me 
assure  you  that  very  few  of  us  neglect  them,  and  that  the 
spirit  of  improvement  and  the  desire  to  learn  are  so  strong 
that  our  teachers  are  more  anxious  lo  restrain  than  to  urge- 
On  that  account  the  hours  of  study  are  short,  and  as  much 
out  of  door  exercises  intermingled  as  possible.  Many  studies 
are  taught  in  pleasant  talks  in  the  open  air,  and  short  lectures 
given  us   in   our  rambles." 

"I  think    I  have    been   told,  Miss   Bell,  that    the  time   of  ap- 
prenticeship for  girls  commences    in   their   fourteenth  year.     If 
that   is    the   case,  your    school    days  are   soon   over.     You  have 
J^t  four  years,   if   I  count    right?" 

"Yes,  you  are    right,    and    then    we   enter    into  an     entirely 


A     PLEASANT    RIDE.  91 

ilifFerent,  but  not  nnpleasiint  life.  We  are  expected  at  tlrat 
time  to  have  arrived  at  an  a<;e  when  we  can  appreciate  the 
need  of  work,  and  the  necessity  that  we  should  fit  ourselves 
for  the  battle  of  life.  We  are  taught  while  at  school,  that 
all  the  advantages  we  enjoy  here  are  the  result  of  man's 
and  woman's  lai)or,  and  that  incessant  care  is  needed  for  their 
maintenance,  and  we  are  impressed  with  the  fact  that  when 
old  enough  we  shall  be  enrolle  1  in  the  armv  of  workers  who 
are  engaged  in  inaintaining  and  increasing  the  .velfare  ot 
the  Commonwealth.  Thus  we  are  led  to  realize  that  we  will 
in    our    turn    become   iiseful    members   of  society. 

'•It    is    with    those  feelings  that    we  enler  upon    our    term   of 

ai)prenticeship,    and   we   are   proud   of    the   trust  which  is  placed 

in  us.     When    I    was  fourteen   my     name    was    enrolled    among 

the  apprentices,    and  I  was  directed    to  make  my   choice  between 

the   v:icani    places   offered    by    the  different  Managers.     The  two 

first  years  we  are  requested  to  do  housework,   and  to  commence 

with    the  most  simple   and   easy    occupations,    so   I    entered    in 

the   hotel    where    I  am  now,    and     made     myself  usef-1  in     the 

housekeeping    department.     But      except     that   1    had    to     live 

away  from  home  there  was  nothing    unpleasant   about  it.     The 

work   was  light,   for   there   is    always     an     abundance  of    helj), 

and  I    liad    many  hours  I  could  devote  to  study.     I   have  some 

taste  for  nnisic,   and   could  find  all  the    time    I    wanted  to    i)rac- 

tice,   and  had  good    teachers  to   help  me    along. 

"At  the  end  of  two  years  I  was  allowed  to  make  my  choice 
of  the  kind  of  occupation  I  <vanted  to  perfect  myself  in,  and 
as  my  taste  led  me  more  toward  office  work  than  to  house- 
keeping, I  devoted  less  time  to  my  ho'^se  duties  and  commenced 
to  learn  short-hand,  type-writing  and  book-keeping,  and  was 
set  to  work  in  the  office.  As  other  girls  left,  I  had  more 
work  put  under  my  charge,  so  that  now  I  have  all  tlie  cor- 
respondence and  most  of  the  books  \nider  my    supervision.      It 


92  THE     FUTUKE    COMMONWEALTH. 

is  work   I   like,  I  have  all  the   help  I  need,  all   the    leisure  I 
can   enjoy,  and  you   see  1   have   good    reasons,  to  be   satisfied." 

"But,  Miss  Bell,"  I  said,  "this  will  not  last.  In  one 
year  from  now  all  that  will  be  changed.  You  will  be  through 
with  your  term  of  apprenticeship  and  you  will  have  to  leave 
the  hotel,  for  I  do  not  suppose  that  Mr.  Wilton  can  afford 
to   keep  you  when  he   will    have  to  pay   you    a    salary." 

"I  do  not  know,  Mr.  Balconi,  what  I  sliall  do  when  that 
time  comes.  Our  motto  here  is,  'Care  not  for  the  morrow, 
foi  sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  Good  tliereof/  but  I  know 
that  if  it  does  not  suit  Mr.  Wilton  to  keep  me,  I  can  find 
plenty  of  occupations  tt)  choose  from.  I  may  get  married,  or 
I  can  return  home  and  help  mother,  or  start  in  bubiness  for 
myself,  or  find  employment  in  some  public  or  private  office. 
Oh!  no,  we  are  never  troubled  with  lack  of  opportunities  here, 
the  difficulty  is  all  the  other  way,  to  select  from  the  many 
openings  offered    to   us." 

''I  suppose.  Miss  Mary,  that  the  same  liberty  is  gnven  to 
all  in   selecting  a   vocation?" 

"Certainly,  all    have    the     same   liberty,     but   all,   boys   and 
girls,    are   required  to   start  at    the     bottom    of   the     industrial 
scale,  and  to   stay    there  some    time  too.     They    run     errands, 
heJp  the   older  persons,   and   learn    the  A.  B.  (■.   of  the   indus- 
trial alphabet.     But   as   new   recruits  come  in,    they  are  promot- 
ed, until   having  mastered   the   rudiments   of    industrial    knowl- 
edge,  they  are   allowed  to  select  the  special    branch   in    which 
they  wish    to   perfect     themselves,    and     places     are  found    for 
them  according  to  their  desires. 
{        "Had   I  desired  to   learn    housekeeping,    I   would     have   been 
/    put    in    charge    of    some     minor    departments,    and     gradually 
i     promoted    to    the  higher    ones.     If  I   Iiad   selected    teaching,  a 
place  would    have   been   found   for   me   in    the   schools.     What- 
ever we  choose,  we  are    helped  to    make  it   a    success,    but    no 


A     PLEASANT     RIDE.  93 

compulsion  is  ever  used,  and  we  are  left  free  to  decide  for 
ourselves  the  occupation  in  which  we  desire  to  improve  our 
opportunities." 

"Yes!  yes!  I  see."  I  could  not  help  saying.  "You  rely  upon 
kindness  and  intelligence.  You  instruct  your  young  people  in 
the  construction  of  society,  and  show  them  the  relation  which 
exists  between  useful  knowledge  and  success  and  happiness. 
Our  children  have  no  such  teachings,  and  most  of  them  are 
led  to  helieve  that  their  success  or  failure  will  depend  on  a 
lucky  or  unlucky  chance.  Very  few  of  our  youths  have  any 
idea  of  the  relation  which  exists  between  their  education  and 
their  success  in  life.  Education  is  aceepto<l  by  most  of  them 
as  one  of  the  requironients  of  their  position,  and  not  as  a 
means   to   a   well-defnuMl  end. 

"Of  course  many  of  them,  as  their  minds  n)ature,  see  that 
it  is  a  mistake  and  commence  to  study  with  an  intelligent 
purpose,  l>ut  they  are  left  to  make  the  discovery  for  themselves, 
and  the  majority  of  our  hoys  and  girls  never  find  it  out,  and 
only  study  because  they  are  made,  to,  and  because  it  is  the 
proper  thing  in  the   class   to  whicii  they  belong." 

Our  conversation  after  this  drifted  away  from  that  subject) 
and  after  a  very  pleasant  ride  oi'  several  miles  through  a 
rich  and  well  cultivated  country,  we  returned  to  the  eity, 
and  I  was  kindly  invited  by  the  fandly  to  ^'j'end  the  evening 
with     them. 


/ 


94  THE    FUTUEE    COMMONWEALTH. 

CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    LAND     QUESTION. 

You  know,  my  dear  Harry,  that  among  tlie  many  social 
questions  which  influence  the  welfare  of  humanity,  there  is 
none  of  more  importance,  or  which  at  this  time  lias  been 
more   discussed,  than  the   ownership    of    land. 

The  absolute  ownership  of  the  soil,  as  enforced  in  Europe 
and  America,  has  given  rise  to  so  many  abuses,  lias  enabled 
individuals  and  corporations  to  get  possession  of  such  vast  tracts, 
and  to  ask  such  enormous  prices  for  desiirahle  parcels  of  land, 
that  it  is  everywhere  recognized  as  one  of  the  great  factors 
in  the  inequality  of  wealth,  and  a  great  impediment  to  the 
equitable  distribution   of  products. 

On  the  other  hand  it  is  argued  by  the  conservative  mem- 
bers of  society,  that  the  absolute  ownership  of  land  by  the 
individuals  is  necessary  for  the  best  improvement  of  the  soil, 
and  that  unless  owners  are  certain  of  reaping  the  benefits  of 
their  labors,  they  will  only  skim  the  surface  and  spend  neither 
time  nor  money  in  those  improvements  which  must  be  made 
if  the  country  is  to    attain    its   highest  development. 

You  are  as  familiar  as  1  with  all  the  arguments,  pro.  and 
con.,  of  this  momentous  question,  as  well  as  with  the  many 
schemes  which  have  been  proposed  to  recoutile  the  interests 
involved. 

I  was  aware,  from  what  Mr.  Walter  had  told  me,  that  they 
had  a  somewhat  different  land  tenure  in  Socioland  from  that 
which  obtains  with  us,  and  I  was  glad  of  the  o{)portunity 
offered  by  an  evening  spent  with  Mr.  Bell  to  get  some  infor- 
mation  from    him   on  the  subject.     I    feel    that  he     is  a     clear- 


THE    LAND    QUESTION.  95 

headed,  well-informed  man,  whose  opinions  ought  to  have 
weight,  and  who  would  not  willingly  color  any  statement  he 
should  make.  So  I  to(»k  the  first  convenient  occasion  to  broach 
the  subject. 

"This  land  (luestion,"  he  said,  "is  one  of  the  most  diflicult 
we  had  to  contend  with,  and  we  cannot  chiim  to  have  settled 
it  yet,  nor  is  it  likely  to  be  settled  for  ages  to  come.  Noth- 
ing short  of  a  state  of  perfect  millenium,  a  time  when  pro- 
duction will  have  become  so  large  as  to  supply  all  possible 
wants,  and  when  centuries  of  peace  and  jjrosperity  will  have 
so  softened  all  hearts,  and  so  i)ound  men  together  as  to  destroy 
the  incentive  to  private  interests,  will  enable  men  to  reconcile 
public  and  private    claims  to  the  ownership   of  land. 

"But  if  we  have  not  reached  that  stage,  [  believe  we  have 
made  some  advance,  and  our  system,  if  still  open  to  objections, 
is  yet  greatly  preferable  to  that  which  obtains  in  other 
countries. 

"I  could  in  a  few  words  explain  to  you  what  our  system 
is,  but  I  think  you  will  understand  us  better  if  I  go  back  a 
little  and  explain  to  you  our  position  from  the  beginning.  It 
will  take  a  little  more  time,  but  it  will  be  more  satisfactory 
in  the   end." 

I   signified  my   assent   and    Mr.    Bell  continued; 

"The  foundation  of  our  system  was  established  before  my 
time,  but  the  traditions  of  the  first  settlement  of  the  country 
were  part  of  my  early  education,  and  if  I  did  not  participate 
in  the  events  of  those  days,  I  lived  on  terras  of  intimacy  with 
those  who   took    an   active    part  in  the   decisions  of  those  times 

"Our  predecessors    had   seen   enough   in   the  United    States   to 
make  them    keenly   alive    to  the  evils   of  i)rivate   ownersliip    of 
land,  and   thev  decideil    unanimously    that    the     Commonwealth  ! 
would    retain    for  ever   the    control    of  the    land,     but     that  all  ' 
persons  who  desired    to  settle  and     improve    some   of  it,  sjiould 


96  TILE    FLITUIIE    COMMONWEALTH. 

be  allowed  to  acquire  a  rij^ht  of  occupancy  to  a  vacant  tract, 
and  that  this  right  should  hold  good  against  all  piivaie  inte- 
rests, but  should  Le  Uiiieit'^J  ;<>  the  C'ui/imonwealtli  upon  the 
payment  of  actual  damages,  wlienevcr  the  land  was  needed 
for  public  purposes. 

"After  so  much  had  boen  decided  upon,  the  next  question 
which  presented  itself  was  this:  Sht)Uid  this  riglit  be  a  free 
gift  or  should  it  be  paid  for?  Should  it  be  for  a  limited  or 
unlimited  number  of  acres?  These  questions  were  soon  forced 
upon  the  new  commimity.  Wlien  the  site  for  the  city  of 
Spencer  had  been  decided  upon,  tiieve  soon  nianifeHte'l  itself 
a  natural  desire  from  each  one  to  possess  as  welf-located  and 
as  large  a  tract  as  possible.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Comraoii- 
wealth  needed  money,  and  was  anxious  to  secure  funds  without 
resorting  to    taxation. 

"The  result  of  these  contending  forces  was  that,  after  special 
tracts  had  l>een  reserved  for  pu]>Hc  us^e,  tlie  land  was  divided 
into  zones,  commencing  at  tiie  cr>ijtre  of  the  city.  In  the 
inner  zone  no  one  could  occupy  more  tiian  one  acre,  in  the 
next  zone  the  limit  was  placed  at  five  acres,  in  the  nest  at 
ten  acres,  while  it  was  decided  that  thirty  acres  for  one  per- 
son, or  sixty  for  a  married  couple,  would  be  the  largest  tract 
granted,  even  at  the  furthest  extremity  of  the  Comonwealth, 
and  taking  in  consideration  the  public  need  of  money,  and 
the  desire  that  all  should  have  the  same  chance  to  the  land 
of  their  choice,  it  was  decided  unanim(jusiy  to  sell  the  tracts 
I  at   auction." 

"And  did  the  plan  succeed?"  I  asked,  "and  is  the  public 
satisfied,  and   does   it   still  regulate  the  ownership   of  the  soil?'' 

"Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Bell.  "It  proved  in  the  main  satis- 
factory, and  not  nearly  as  liable  to  abuse  as  the  old  system. 
The  plan  is  the  same,  but  we  have  reduced  the  size  of  the  lots 
to  suit  the    needs  of  our    increased    population,    for     you    know 


THE    LAND    QUESTION.  97 

that  we  claim  that  it  is  one  of  the  advantages  of  our  institu- 
tions that  we  can  change  our  policy  to  suit  the  needs  of  the 
times.  * 

"No  changes  were  needed  for  many  years,  but  as  the 
country  became  settled,  small  business  centers  began  to  grow 
in  many  directions,  and  now  Townships  had  to  be  established, 
and  thus  new  and  independent  zones  liad  to  be  marked  out. 
At  the  sites  selected  for  the  business  h)cations  of  these  new 
Townships,  many  persons  had  to  be  dispossessed  of  their 
rights  because  the  land  was  needed  for  public  use.  They 
were  repaid  the  money  they  had  paid  at  first,  and  wore 
compensated  for  tiie  improvements  they  could  not  remove.  Of 
course  it  was  not  pleasant,  but  as  their  neighbors  had  to 
reduce  the  size  of  their  lioidings,  thoy  were  enabled  to  make 
satisfactory  purchases,  and  the  inoreasod  i)rospcrity  of  the  whole 
settlement  was  a  full  comijcnsation  to  all  the  parties  for 
their  trouble." 

''And  here  in  Spencer  itself,  I  suppose  you  found  it  neces- 
sary   to  make  some  changes?" 

"Oh!  yes,  we  had  to  make  them  also.  The  Town  had  to 
take  back  some  of  the  land  it  had  sold,  and  in  the  center 
of  the  city  the  limit  has  been  cut  down  to  half  an  acre, 
while  the  limits  of  the  acre  zone  have  been  much   extended." 

"But  do  not  these  enforced  changes  create  ranch  disturbance?" 
I  asked.  "1  represent  to  myself  what  a  commotion  it  would 
create    among   us  if  such    an   ordoi   was   enforced." 

"You  would  find,"  Mr.  Bell  answered,  "that  it  would  only 
aflect  the  very  rich  in  your  large  cities,  for  the  high  |)rico 
of  youi  land  brin.^s  about  the  same  results.  With  you  the 
division  of  the  soil  is  fostered  by  its  increaseil  value,  which 
makes  it  more  profitable  for  the  owner  to  sell  than  to  hoUl 
it.  With  us  it  is  differont.  Our  system  of  land  tetmro  des- 
troys  speculation  and  prevents    higli   prices,   so    we    must     resort 


98  THE     FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

to  other  means  to  compel  its  division.  And  we  find  our  policy 
answer   very  well  our  purpose. 

"Those  who  have  acquired  rights  of  occnp<>incy  in  a  growino: 
city,  know  that  they  will  some  day  have  to  divide  with  others, 
and  act  accordingly.  Many  a  father  gives  his  children  a  por- 
tion of  his  land  who  would  have  held  on  to  it  till  death 
released  his  grip.  Many  a  person  sells  at  a  reasonable  price 
a  piece  of  land  to  the  man  who  needs  it,  who  would  have 
taken  advantage  of  his  power  to  drain  him  of  his  last  pos- 
sible   dollar. 

"Besides  we  give  plenty  of  time  for  the  changes  to  take 
place  easily  and  gradually.  Our  citizens  are  more  induced 
than  compelled  to  divide  with  those  in  need.  When  the  land 
within  the  acre  limit  had  been  practically  all  occupied,  there 
were  found  many  persons  willing  to  pay  the  occupants  a  fair 
price  for  a  part  of  their  lots,  and  the  persons  in  possession, 
knowing  that  eventually  they  would  be  compelled  to  sell,  were 
inclined  to  make  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  part  with  what 
they    otherwise   might   have  preferred    to    keep. 

'•M:irk  you,  nothing  is  taken  which  is  necessary  to  the 
possessor's  comfort  and  welfare.  The  size  of  the  lots  is  always 
ample  for  all  legitimate  wants.  It  is  only  the  superfluous  they 
are  compelled  to  give  up,  and  the  sense  of  insecurity  it  gives 
in  the  possession  of  the  superfluous  is  an  important  factor  in 
inducing  our  people  to   divide  with  those  who  are  less  favored. 

"You  must  have  noticed,  Mr.  Balcom,  that  our  aims  are 
entirely  diflerwnt  from  yours.  You  are  after  stability,  you  are 
afraid  of  changes,  you  dread  the  weakening  of  the  existing 
order  of  society.  We  care  nothing  for  these  things.  We  are 
trying  to  improve  our  condition  in  life,  and  are  ready  to 
change  every  day  if  we  are  better  satisfied  thereby.  That 
which  we  want  to  see  enduring  is  not  the  institutions,  but 
the   happiness   of  the   community. 


THE     LAND    QUESTION.  99 

''But  to  return  to  t!ie  l:in  1  question.  As  population  increases, 
the  tendenry  is  to  an  amiable  division  of  the  property,  I'.s 
preferable  to  an  enforced  one,  which  is  sure  to  come  sooner 
or  later.  Whon  this  priK;ess  has  been  <,n)in':;  on  for  a  sufficient 
length  of  time  (o  allow  all  right  minded  persons  to  a(\jnst 
the  sue  of  their  lots  to  the  public  welfare,  a  vote  is  taken 
and  two  or  three  years  given  for  the  enforced  reduction  of 
the  holdings  to  the  new  limit,  after  .vhich  the  occ  npants  lose 
their  rights  to  the  excess  of  their  property  which  reverts  l)ack 
to   the   Commonwealth  without  compensation." 

"And  how,"  I  asked,  "does  your  poli(\  ailed  the  general 
settlement  of  the  country?" 

"Our  country  has  been  surveyed,  the  best  locations  for  rail- 
roads an  1  public  roads  ilecided  upon,  which  are  b-iilt  as  fast 
as  needed,  and  we  settle  the  country  as  we  go,  avoiding  pre- 
mature  expenses  and    needless   privations. 

"We  are  in  no  hurry  to  develop  all  our  resources  at  once, 
for  we  have  nothing  to  gain  by  it.  We  do  not,  as  is  the  case 
with  you,  build  long  lines  of  railroads  going  through  deserts 
and  uninhabited  (countries,  to  carrv  settlers  from  rich  farming; 
sections  only  half  cultivated,  to  far-off"  states  just  opened  to 
civiliication.  It  is  private  speculation  which  induces  your  people 
to  this  course,  and  engenders  the  desire  to  get  possession  of 
large  tracts  of  land,  but  the  result  is  an  immense  amount  of 
wasted  labor   and  needless  hardships. 

"Your  system  of  land  ownership  is  suited  to  the  ideas  and 
character  of  your  people,  and  fosters  the  spirit  of  enterprise 
which  is  fast  making  the  Unitetl  States  the  richest  nation  in  the 
world.  Our  system  is  soiled  to  our  character  and  aims.  We  do 
not  develop  as  fast,  but  we  avoid  the  evil  of  land  speculation  and 
monopoly  of  the  soil.  Yours  is  the  hot-bed  growtii,  fostered  l.y 
the  desire  for  riches,  ours  is  the  healthier  growth  of  a  contented 
people,    following  the   line   of  intelligent   development. 


100  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

"And  what  about  the  titles  to  these  rights?"  I  asked.  "Do 
you  have  the  same  system  of  transfer  by  deeds  as  obtains  in 
other  countries?" 

"No,  we  have  not,  and  thus  we  have  done  away  with  a 
fruitful  source  of  litigation.  The  T()wnshij)s  alone  can  jirant 
those  rights  of  occupancy  or  transfer  them.  Whenever  a  chanjje 
is  made,  the  former  occupant  relinquislies  his  riglit,  wiiieh 
is  cancelled,  and  a  new  one  is  issued.  Transfer  by  inheritance 
follows  the  same  rule.  And  the  change  once  made  is  final 
and  not  to  be  disturbed  or  questioned,  for  we  hold  that  it  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  men  who  labor  on  the 
soil  should  feel  all  possible  security,  and  that  improvement 
and  occupancy  are  worthy  of  more  consideration  than  ancient 
deeds    or  mislaid   wills. 

"Many  of  ihe  results  of  our  land  poli.-y  may  seem  hard  and 
arbitrary  to  those  who  are  used  to  the  absolute  ownership  of 
the  soil,  and  to  the  right  of  sale  and  mortgage,  but  to  us 
who  have  never  been  used  to  them,  we  look  only  to  the 
results  on  the  public  prosperity,  and  they  are  eminently 
satisfactory. 

"No  public  enterprise  is  thwarted  by  the  selfishness  or  stub- 
bornness of  individuals  or  corporations,  no  large  tracts  mono- 
polized by  shrewd  speculators,  no  exorbitant  ground  rents  le- 
vied on  commerce  or  manufactures,  no  endless  and  expensive 
litigation  entered  into  because  some  lost  marriage  certificate 
has  been  found,  or  a  flaw  discovered  to  invalidate  some  ancient 
title. 

"It  might  be  thought  that  the  feeling  of  insecurity  to 
individuals  would  more  than  offset  those  advantages,  but  we  do 
not  find  it  so,  for  sudden  changes  are  never  made,  and  they  are 
always  the  result  of  the  best  judgment  of  the  people,  publicly 
discussed  and  expressed,  and  always  directed  toward  increasing 
the  prosperity    of  the   community. 


ARBITRATION     AND     LAWS.  101 

"Besides  the  tendency  of  our  institutions  is  such  that  while 
it  checks  the  large  accumulation  of  wealtfi  in  tlie  hands  of 
those  of  a  grasping  disposition,  it  also  checks  the  tendencv  to 
waste  of  the  property  held  by  those  who  are  inclined  to  he 
reckless  or  extravagant,  so  that  on  the  wiiole  there  are  probably 
less  changes  in  the  occupancy  of  the  soil  in  Socioland,  than 
there  it.  to  be  found  under  the  absolute  ownership  of  other 
countries." 

About  that  time  the  ladies  came  in,  and  after  a  pleasant 
social  evening,  I  walked  back  to  the  hotel  iwith  Miss  Bell,  well 
satisfied    with    the    way  in   which    the    day    hnd  been    spent. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ARBITRATION    AND    LAWS. 

I  believe  I  told  you  before,  my  dear  Harry,  that  1  had 
found  an  agreeable  friend  in  William  Bell,  the  older  brother 
of  Miss  Mary.  He  is  a  bright  young  man,  very  enthusiastic 
as  to  the  future  of  Socioland,  and  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  spirit    which  prevails  here. 

He  is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  but  the  word  has  an  entirely 
different  meaning  here  from  that  which  we  give  it,  or  it 
would  be  more  correct  to  say  that  it  means  here  what  our 
best  lawyers  are  and  what  they  all  ought  t(»  be.  Instead  of 
fomenting  trouble  and  fostering  lawsuits,  their  work  consists 
\n  settling  diflerences  and  adjusting  difficulties,  and  in 
presenting  their  client's  case  clearly  and  concisely  to  the  judge 
when  their  efforts  do  not  meet  with  success.  They  act  more 
•as  counsellors  and  advisers  than  as  advocates,  and    in    fact  I  find 


)/ 


102  THE    FUTliKK    a>MMC)NWEALTH. 

that  the    law    ha»   niiich  less   to   <1()    hero    th.ui    with    iis,    in    re- 
gulating the  relations    of  men    to  tMih    otiu'r. 

As  I  have  plenty  of  time,  I  often  drop  in  his  oflice,  and 
if  1  find  him  at  lei'«ure  we  drift  in  c(»nver^^ation  upon  all 
kinds  of  suhjects,  and  1  ihink  it  will  inti-rest  you  if  I  repeat 
some  of  our    talks    upon  their  ideas  of  law    aiitl    governiiieut. 

I  was  tellin;^  hii/i  a  few  days  ag«i  that,  as  far  a*-  1  knew, 
theie  had  lK?en  only  two  forms  of  government  tried.  One  was 
the  autocratic,  where  the  rulers  had  succeeiled  in  olittiining 
control  of  the  power  and  were  u>ing  it  to  their  own  advan- 
tage, and  the  other  the  representative  form,  where  the  people 
try  logovern  themselves  by  delegating  their  powers  to  lej^islativc 
•^  bodies  who  make  the  laws  and  [provide  means  lo  enfone  them. 
But  1  said  that  it  seemetl  to  me  that  here  in  Soeioland  they 
were  experimeuting  on  a  third  method,  where  the  people  tried 
to  govern  themselves  with  as  little  intervention  of  delegates 
^as    possible. 

"Yes,"  he  answered.  "Our  system  is  peeuli.ir  to  (tinselvi's, 
and  is  the  result  of  the  phil(jsophii;d  beliefs  of  those  who 
founded  our  Commonwealth,  and  of  the  conditions  inider  whieb 
it    has  been    started. 

"I  have,"  he  further  remarked,  "read  extensively  aliout  the 
l.*\ws  and  customs  of  other  nations,  and  I  find  that  the  (((ustant 
trend  of  the  oppressed  has  been  to  have  justice  mete<l  out  to 
liurn,  and  t«)  ^ain  j-ossession  of  what  they  consider  their  rights. 
In  the  pursuit  of  these  aims  they  have  elaborated  eou>tilutions 
defining  the  relations  of  men  to  each  otlier,  and  enaeted 
nundierless  laws  to  compel  due  respect  for  these  rights  in 
Older  that  justice    might    be  maintained. 

"Now  we  look  upon  these  ideas  as  entirely  natural  for 
those  who  are  oppressed  and  at  the  same  time  are  taught 
ihut  0(hI  has  created  all  men  C(pial;  but  for  us  who  have 
eliminated    all     foriuf-    <•!    oppressif>n    from    amon^    us  as  inimical 


ARBITRATION    AND    LAWS.  103 

to  haijpiness,  ami  believe  in  the  evolution  of  man  from  a 
lower  or<?anisni,  anrl  in  the  stnipgle  for  existence  and  the 
survival  of  the  fittest,  such  a  view  is  entirely  unscicnlilic, 
and  cannot  furnisli  a  sound  l.nsis  for  the  formin;,'  of  constilu- 
tions   or    the  enactment    of  laws." 

"What!"  I  said.  "Do  you  not  believe  in  the  need  of  justi(  e 
or  the   enforcement  of  rights?" 

"No,  not  in  the  sense  in  which  you  use  these  words,"  he 
answered.  "With  tis  they  only  mean  a  form  of  conduct 
which  experience  has  shown  to  be  beneficent  to  mankind, 
and  cjtlcuhited  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  society.  But 
we  do  not  believe  that  in  the  liglit  of  the  evolution  theory 
there  can  be  such  a  thing  in  nature  as  abstract  justice,  or 
that  it   is  possible   to    attain    perfect  rights. 

"In  your  search  after  this  ignis-fatuus  you  are  all  the  time 
trampling  upon  justice  and  violatioi:  natural  rights.  Like  the 
man  who  loved  peace  so  well  that  he  was  always  willing  to 
fitrht  to  attain  it,  vou  are  all  the  time  unconsciously  breaking 
the  very  principles  you  are  trying  to  establish.  For  instance 
what  greater  violation  of  natural  rights  can  there  be  than  the 
individual  appropriation  of  land?  Bv  what  right,  please  tell 
me,  can  any  man  or  a  body  of  men  say  of  a  porticm  of  the 
soil:  'This  is  mine.'  They  did  not  create  it.  It  was  there 
long  before  them,  and  will  remain  long  after  they  have  passed 
away.  And  yet  habit  has  so  blunted  your  sense  of  right  that 
you  talk  about  the  natural  right  of  men  to  their  land,  as  if 
they  had  an  actual  right  to  it  instead  of  having  only  a  leg:d 
title    to  it,  based    originally  upon  spoliation    and    force. 

"And  talk  about  justice.  Is  it  just,  tell  me,  to  take  a 
husband  and  father  from  his  family,  and  send  him  to  fight 
the  battles  of  his  country  because  he  happens  to  be  luidcr 
a  certain  age,  while  an  older  man,  with  as  much  or  more  at 
stake  is   allowed    to   remain  at    home?     Is  there  any  jnstice     in 


104  THE    FUTURE    COMMONWEALTH. 

preventing  a   man   from  voting   until  he   is  twenty-one     years  of 
age,  or  in   keeping  a  woman   away    from   the   polls   altogether? 

"Go  to  Europe,  to  America,  to  Socioland,  or  to  any  country, 
and  you  will  find  that  [)erfet;t  justice  does  not  exist,  cannot 
exist  in  fact,  for  it  is  not  in  accord  with  the  law  of  evolu- 
tion, and  all  the  efforts  of  mankind  do  not  enable  them  to 
attain    it." 

To    this   tirade   1    could   make  no   reply,     for    it     was    a    new 
idea  to    me,  and   one    I    had  never   studied,    so    I    confined   my- 
I     self  to   asking    my    friend  if   they    were      going    to  do    without 
'    justice,  by  what  did  they   intend  to  re[)lace    it?  * 

^'^  "THose  were  the  views  entertained  by  the  first  settlers,"  he 
answered,  "so  instead  of  seeking  the  establishment  of  justice 
and  tiie  maintenance  of  individual  rights,  they  sought  to  pro- 
mole  a  sjjirit  of  friendliness  and  good-will  toward  all,  and 
shapeil  their  laws  so  as  to  discourage  litigation,  and  to  induce 
the  people  to  settle  their  di/Ierences  among  tiiemselves.  They 
abandoned  the  jury  system  as  too  expensive  and  cumbrous,  and 
abolished  the  right  of  appeal  to  higher  courts.  The  decision 
of   the  judge  is  final    and    must    be    acce[)ted  as  such. 

"You  believe  that  the  enforcement  of  justice  is  the  duty 
of  the  governtnt'nt,  and  (hat  you  must  see  to  it  that  every 
man  is  protected  in  his  natural  rights.  We  look  upon  the 
nu'ii  who  cannot  agree  among  themselves  as  undesirable  citi- 
zens, and  we  only  settle  their  disputes  for  them  because  it  is 
the  best  way  for  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  community. 
But  it  must  be  done  quickly,  and  at  the  least  possible  expense 
of  time  and  money.  If  the  parties  do  not  like  the  judge's 
decision,  they  will  l)e  more  inclined  to  come  to  a  mutual  un- 
\  (lerstanding  next  time,  or  to  resort  to  arbitration,  which  we 
\     favor   by  all    m>jaus  in    our   ])0Wer. 

'Tiie  law  has  very  little  to  say  about  the  enforcement  of 
contracts  lu   ihe   collection   of  debts,  for  we    think    it     better    to 


AUr.ITUATloN     ANM»    LAWH.  104 

tiftfli  our  jx'njilo  ll>rtt  ihrr  mii»l  look  to  the  honfwJjr  of  the 
nmtrHrtiui;  jwrllrii,  llian  fn  llm  lirl|»  of  iUo  «  MinmcMiwrnhh 
for  iUv  fnifiltiH-nl  of  pr'mjiw><»  mft«l^.  Stiitn  for  «Umn^f»i  nrc 
HiftconmeM,  for  we  ihink  it  Ur«il  t»>  Uvo  down  «lan<l*  r  than 
In  !nlrn<<ifr  it  l-r  Tr'ntilntiii);  H  lM'ff>rc  the  |iut»!i«*.  In  <ivU 
nni«P,  j}»o  "tntnlo  of  limitntlon  |>r'>nn'll.v  i1cl»nr^  (ho  rom|  !tlnnnt, 
for  we  hnl'l  that  dilTi-rt  n«"«j  ouRht  to  Ito  jpiirVlr  H.>Hled  niwl 
qnlrklr  forjfotten.  nor  ilo  we  hmc  »tifrjrici>t  rcpcil  for  thfl 
<ii<tfltc*  of  the  i\ctu\  to  allow  niinln'nl  wilU  to  <li«lurb  cxli»tlnjt 
con*Ilt!orw. 

"Bit«iiU>ii,  we  leave  the  inH}ri(lii«N  much  freer  In  control 
their  prirnte  arttons  tliHn  j«  «h>ne  in  other  eoiintrie^.  We 
do  not  trj  to  mnke  the  jtoople  religioiw  or  mornJ  hy  law. 
Marrirtjrv  att«!  tiii-nn'c  ure  frof,  roliKi'»uf  j-onvirrlions  i»ro  n^ter 
inlerfereil  wilh,  nil  •fn^n  «re  e<jMnl  J>efore  the  '««,  »t>t\  kII 
{•ernonnl  nrlionH  «fe  left  ««  much  an  |M>i«<«Hile  to  l«e  j'ontn^Ued 
l>v    th«i  tn(*lli);ent  jn«lanienl  of  lh«  imliTi'lunU  vonf^rned. 

"Criminal  «"H»»e«*  nrc  CrentM  «li(Ter«MUly.  They  »rr  mre  with 
«\  l>e<-mii#<?  wa  h*»e  ilou«  »WAy  with  the  iiwrntires  to  crime, 
Ihii  when  they  iK>  o»<-»ir,  we  hM)k  u|»on  the  r«l|»Hin  m  <H- 
neawcH  |>erxt-»n«  ntnl    lre«t  them  ac-rxmiingly. 

*To  ail  tiiew  <l>«n<?(*«  ihe  ohjection  might  he  mad*  that 
jit-'lirr  nui«t  oAcn  suffer,  an<l  if  perfect  jnsllce  wfi«  mir  »lm»  ve 
«rmiKI  certainly  be  aiUancing  in  the  wron^  d'jectl'm.  But  we 
do  not  iieliere  that  f>erfcct  juMtice  can  he  attAined,  artd  we 
know  that  it  in  daily  rioUte«l,  even  by  thoac  nntlona  who  ha?e 
the  nwMit  elatmrtte  co«!e  of  Uwa.  Ho  we  prefer  to  look  to  the 
niUnre  of  kindly  fccHnjpi  an<l  to  ihe  increa*«  of  comaatinlty 
of  lntere<itjt  for  ihe  ree«j(nition  of  aa  many  IwlifldHHl  rl^hta 
and  Ihe  e««taM5»hn»ent  of  a«  mach  jimtioe  as  the  ^teial  cowU- 
tlon»    jvermit. 

"It  Is  by   thiw  ditnlntAhing     the     nnroliw  of   the     law*,    and 
tearhing  the  peoftle  the  art  nf  indtvidnal  cnotrol,  that  we  nut 


100  TIIK    FUTUUE    COMMONWKALTil. 

govern  oumcWcs  ty  Hirect  legisiallon,  atwl  take  from  our  le;:is- 
Inllre  IxkIicb  the  power  ther  bo  oHcn  abuse  in  rcprc^cntntivo 
countrua,  tttvl  I  Injlieve  our  jn-oplc  ccl  r1oii;»  ns  wr-li  (»r  l>cKer 
Ihun  thoRC  nations  who  l«w>k  for  the  |»n»{Mfr  rc^:iilation  of  in- 
(iivklunl  crmtlnrt  to  the  incrra'««   in  nomln-r  of   l'>eir   InwH." 

AaA  it  »  true  th.it  the  ppnple  of  Sficncor  scotn  rcmai-kahlr 
well  behnvcil,  Itsr-mornw  Rrc  unUnoxn,  ami  driinkeuucrtn  docs 
not  ROOfM  to  ext»l  here,  an\  m>  Imfers  are  in  \m  met  on 
the  ptreel  comers.  When  I  a-nkr*!  my  friend  how  they  hail 
)mccee«le«!  in  itanixhing  the^b  f»08ti»  of  riviii£^*d  eoonlrlep,  lie 
ssid  he  di<l  mA.  know  how  it  w»a  hr«Hight  nlxnit,  for  he  had 
never  seen  th#-m  and  Iwf  did  not  believe  the  "jH'cio^  exiate*! 
fn  8«)ciolaml  or  ha»d  l>e«-n  isipoited  there.  He  sujtjwmc-*!  the 
climate  »»«  not  fjir«»rtihle  %e>  Uust  kind  of  grtiwfh,  ftjr  though 
once  in  it  .^hile  di-«reput»Me  ch:tf^t.ier4  made  their  3pj»earrtnce 
OB  the  Btrtf  tfv  they  lorvkr»l  w>  hwt  nml  forlorn,  an  5  m  ijuifkly 
di«ipj>earwi  from  the  ptildic  pa«>,  lh«t  prolKthly  they  mcmit><l 
their   vnrn  or  left    in  i»c:in'h  nf  inor^?  rnngenial    cllmtM, 

A  few  jiavB  Weri  my  friemi  }t«ife  mo  an  in!en*Hling  ucoMini 
of  the  formati«m  of  their  if«>vi*nin>cr.t  ««•  He  had  hoHnl  it 
froTo   tlje  &nt  stfttlpris. 

**I  wa-*  told"  Sie  «ui(!,  "thnl  when  tise  first  emiKranlM  arrlvrd 
here,  they  dci*ide»l,  crmtnirj  to  all  prece<leni«,  t«  draft  m»  eoiw- 
titution,  to  enAct  no  bwts  h»il  to  wail  an. I  decide  caoh  tatixa 
»»  U  prcKnte!  itwlf.  They  were  not  nnt.»cn»n>>  then,  an«l 
nff^\  to  mr-cl  in  a  Urpe  hall,  which  wi«  one  of  the  first  lniil- 
ding^  they  {Hit  n}»,  an*!  talk  mallon*  over  «n»l  dH!i«le  what 
oiHirtw  they  had  lictier  follow.  Thexe  dei't^'W**,  duly  reer.nlwl 
and  rote<l  n|>fm,  are  the  tonmhititMi  of  all  otir  inwK,  hnt  are 
tiaU«  to    mr«H$i4^l!<«n  h?   |y>p<tl.ir   rote  H  anj  times 

^Onr  l»f»alncw!i  (i7»tem  waa  op«j«niTOd  in  ih©  Rime  way,  and 
hf  the  name  pnitxt*  twir  Sp»t  Managers  were  a|<jH>inte.l.  When 
thf  time  arrireH  f.»r  the   OwnnmrnweaUh  to  rommenee  lawlne** 


ARP.ITRATION    AND    LAWS.  m 

on  ii^  own  ncw.nnr,  Ihp  \^l  mm  wrrp  *rlrrJc<!  to  J^Vp  It  In 
clinrirr  .m.|  .!-.  .hr  U.M  thcv  muM  for  thr  i»mninnilr.  'llnw 
Inn^  .hnll  wt  mtt,  T  iIht  n.k<H|.  'A,  Inng  n.  yo,,  give  «,tU. 
fj«<iion,'   wo    ansuprr*!. 

"TUv  rx|K>rifnont  wah  n  micow.  Tl.rf*  m<  u  U>ok  pri.l*  in 
Ihcir  work  nivl  n^mra\  no  rn;.r<«  lo  m;«k9  U  »Mrr.c».fiiI.  h 
WM  fon,,.!  1.^1  ,.,  ^ive  then.  m.,.l,  Utitmle  of  action  «n<1  to 
iij.r>oi„t    A«lvi,^,r.v  B/«in!«  in  help    tl.rru    ,x>-on!inat«  thdr  effort*. 

"Wli^n  tt.o  f1n.t  rliRiKrecment  ninonn  tlip  •cdlcru  urow.  thrr« 
WR^  no  ,.<u,r»,  j.irv  or  j.i.|-r,  so  a  roliah!..  m.n  wiu  w-leclr,! 
»o  i.'Mtl,.  their  <H^piiio,  nn<i  it  wn*.  .1^  i,i,J  f,  rnforuc  hit  d«. 
ri«ion  whucvcr  it  rniKht  In-,  nn.l  thiiM  (Hir  fiml  judge  wm 
rrrntHl 

"Fw.r  fwcral  yc^n  then  wn«  no  IctflnUtiirc,  for  the  people 
rvH  in  m.iw-nu-ptini:,.  to  .Ii-rn«^  nn.l  v(.(r  n|ion  wirh  qnp.tlun« 
«"  pre-e>nt<Hl  tl.omHclvrs  nml  «i  tliis  lime  nil  otir  Town«Kl|n 
»rc  thus  p.vprni-*!  till  tiir  imrenM'  <,f  jw>puU(inn  makea  it 
lmpr«rtir«l»lo.  Hui  ^„r  IruinlMtUr  U«n„  hure  none  of  Ibe  p„wtr 
th^-.v  jK«,H«w  in  oth«T  rf)untric«.  and  onlj  not  «.  romtnhtee* 
'•here  Die  dif^renl  opinlond  nrc  dl»ol•^^i  an,l  cndenwed,  snri 
finally  pfit    in    nhsite  iii  be    Tote*?  upon    bj   the  people. 

"(hir  «y«t<?m  Ik  nol  at  nil  calniUtetl  to  promoie  ettemirc 
lcgi«Utlon,  am!  If  we  »ero  n  liwmafcing  nm)  &  Uw-loTlng 
people,  we  wouW  nol  be  Mtiiifled  with  It.  But  we  look  upon 
Inw  it  best  M  t  necewrj  eril,  aikI  replace  i(  a*  far  m 
poeaiWe   by  oni»cili«llon    and  kimllr    frelin^a.'* 


108  THE    FUTURE    tX)MMONWEALTH. 

OHAPTEB    2VII. 

THE    CONDITIONS    OF    SUCCES.'^. 

I  Imve  not  na'xA  nnytltinj:  !o  you  nlxtut  Mr.  W»iUcr,  JiUixxixh 
I  have  Rocn  liitn  ofion,  and  o»llctl  ujxm  him  wvcrnl  times 
!«l  hlf*  l»nii'4e,  hj'Cii-.iHo  I  hnve  Irit'il  J(»  omfuio  niyiii'lf  iih  far 
as  |H»«!<iliU'  to  liie  toj>ic<  mvl  <-«)nver-ii«l!nni4  which  troxt  nj<ir« 
it|«f><'iallj  of  the  |Mil»lir  ioKtitnlioiiH  of  Sh-ioImhi.  P>nt  I  will 
jjive  you  :in  .iwrnint  »»f  the  hist  etrnveniutiitu  I  hwl  wlili  liim, 
for  I  think  it  wiil  inicre«t  y<ni  to  kii<»*  hix  views  iijum  the 
(iiflTiiHiou  of  the  priiioijilcx  they  n-ivot'stte,  nn  I  t!»eir  ;i<Jo|»lio»i 
hy    other   roiintries. 

I  Ut%<\  Ih'en  ealllnff  H|»on  him,  nn  J  •(rntcl  in  hln  lihrnry  he 
B<Mre«*i«<1   mc   thtf: 

"Well,  n.y  y(rtinsj  fricn<l,  you  have  bccij  hero  some  little 
Ume,  and  must  h.ive  forme"!  wuno  ojunioni*  jw  to  what  you  have 
*oen,  stmI  niiwt  utwlcn«tani|  the  rewiiltn  of  the  ehHni(e«  we  haFe 
m«<le  in  our  form  of  gnvernment.  IIf»w  «U>ei«  it  «lrike  yon? 
Hare  wf  (irojrrttwc.!,  or  hitve  wc  l>ecii  tMking  Isfti-kwiinl  uttj  s 
In  eivili ration?" 

"I  inaut  My,"  I  iinswered,  "that  it  wtrnsi  to  me  Shut  you 
h«vc  m.uf*  great  pn»g^t^s•»,  rthI  huTC  ei»lnhlishe«l  here  a  (/)ai- 
monwealth  frotn  which  ymi  have-  eliminjitc<l  uiany  of  Mie 
dcfof't*  which  still  exist  In  other  coimtrie«,  nnd  1  woidd  l-e 
|4enwl  !ndc««!  If  some  of  the  chnngra  you  Uavc  lunnpumte*! 
bert  ccuW  •!«»  H«  made  in  the  Unite*!  Siaics.  It  would  go 
very  f*r  to  WQi-Homte  the  condition  of  (he  lower  elscscs,  an<' 
incretMe   the   comfort   and   happiiicsa   of    iho   whole    people." 

"Ye*,  thna^  chaniri-x  are  de»»ir«hle,  or  at  least  we  think  mt 
here,   or   wt    wonhl    not  hare   ln»«titii»ed    them,"    h?     aniiwercd. 


TIJE    ("nNDITlONP    OF    SUCK^.  109 

"iSiil  inii«-w<  liif  ili.trrntrr  of  tlir  )>rop}r  j«  »]'iitp  »lifrorcnt  frt>m 
wh.il  !•  wn<4  in  'uy  litnc,  v.m  will  fitvl  tfinl  (licrr  arr  ilinirtil- 
lif»  M«  ihf^  wny  tl,:n  ii  ^il|  take  nitiny  ycim,  if  not  ivniiiriea, 
lt»   •>vcrrxtmo. 

"You  niii^l  !in  li'p* -in  I  l*i  »l  wh.«n  wo  lef\  ihe  L'nlto'l  St:«le* 
m  cornp  here,  it  wa»  not  n  iiintlpr  nf  ♦•l»oi(i',  IhiI  of  nerin^iir, 
ira«l  we  wen  a  fair  |ir'««|Kit  of  pllivlins  thc«l«!«»jrt'<f  chMn^vi*, 
wo  wi»i;l.|  not  h«vo  eT}»:itrin|t.<<l  o'irMf|v«*s  luvJ  faco"!  the  liiirt!- 
xlii|m  itf  n  n>.'*  wtllfrn'Mi?.  Hul  wp  <*!MiI  I  »»op  no  pnxii'CPt 
of  A  c»iin,»l*Mp  I'liangp  In  our  liiap,  nnl  only  one  of  gni<hint 
hut  xlow    iinprf>viMni'nl." 

'*Y<»iir  vi'.'w-*  nro  m»l  very  enconrnnJnij,"  I  -^itul.  "and  hanlljr 
in  Kauri  willi  your  iKrlii-f  in  pvolntii»n,  fur  ron  musl  Itclicre 
in    lltp    jjni.Iiiiil    iin|in>vein«nl  of  fUHMtty." 

"Ccriainlv,  I  iH-lirvf  in  if,  itni!  I  know  ihnt  niKnkiiwI  l» 
HJpadily  pro^'n'^sin;;  lo^sar-l  iK-llcr  o»n.!ition««,  nn<l  I  fpel  c«n- 
fi'U-nt  tlial  if  our  inf^iitiiti  >n«  nr\'  llu*  l»o>*t  <~iloul.\le<1  to  promote 
hi«)>i>inp^  niid  tlir  lii/luMi  r'»riii  of  rivilis-ilitm,  they  will  be 
n<loptc«l  pvprywliprr;  for  s\hlpm*  of  coTPriunpnt,  iw  well  ba 
public  or  privHip  iiv«titiitionn,  niurt  slawl  thi*  tot  of  the 
»(rii)t;^lf  fv)r  p«i««leiuv  that  tin"  filli.'^t  may  siirvivc.  But  the 
Working  of  thi>«  Inw  is  pT«-ei*<lini;|y  ftlow,  nml  un«l«T  ttrtMlM 
cxtrvlitioim  «vnluHp«  m«y  cIjij'^p  l>ffnre  ini|»ort«nt  clmeifcc  mn 
l*    a«"cnjnpli»he«l. 

"A  chnnyp  jioph  iw<  yxt  pontpcnplatp,"  hp  (•t>nlinne<i,  "otn 
only  l.w  tfTi'(t<^il  if  iifl"*il^  njxm  «n  incnviKi-  in  Ihf  intellifferK-e 
of  (he  j»cop!o.  I  ilo  not  l»rlievp,  Mr.  Il:it<on»,  thai  if  onr 
in>»ti'.ulion8  ctmlil  U-  tran^plnnti,**!  I»o.lily  in  tho  Unit«*<l  Slfilr*, 
they  woul.l  cn^liiii*  for  au\  length  of  tlm«.  Your  |»p<iple  «rf 
prohnhly  ready  for  «»ome  of  the  chnnffr*  w^"  have  mmle,  nnt\ 
in  tirr?«  n»«y  ntlopt  «»nr  whole  «yf«tpm,  b«»l  oiir  ptoTrmnu'Tit  n 
♦•ntirely  too  ileivmlenl  U|w»n  iIjc  inmr  love  of  onler  nrnl  the 
H<»i«S  cotiditct  nnil    kindliocHB  of  wir     citiu-nf),     to     ropt    with 


no  THE   KurriiK  cx>mmon wealth. 

the   f\t\nt    of  ^rrcefl    a«nl    in«nvj«!nali«m    whirh    arc   the     marked 
allrlbiito^  of  lli<*    inhabitant*   of  the    l!nito<l   SU'Ue^. 

"No,  ujiltrM  you  cnn  t*o<-wrc  .t  mi«rh  more  Intrllixpnl  |»«»imi- 
Ution,  <mc  whirh  i«  M\y  \m\mc\]  nith  the  opirit  «»f  nnirr 
Bn«!  ronriUaJlun,  one  whii-li  know*  >»h;jt  U  ll«o  true  Imnik  of 
rtffil  fist  men  t  nml  haj-pim**,  voii  ho«l  lellrr  mlhcro  to  ihc 
cxihlinij  '>ri5rr  of  mx-ifl/,  iiii|>n>v  iny  it  nt  fii-l  H"  jv.-«sil.|r,  tlint 
\p  u  fa^t  tm  the  knowledge  of  the  (rue  conilitioitH  of  Hurt'^wi 
jjerrowirt  xnrlety. 

"Klucnlc  Ihc  |»co|>l'»;  cdtuv.lt  them  iwit  in  (Jrrok  or  fjitin, 
Inrl  awaj  (ntm  lht>  «ti|H»rslitJi>o«  which  n«>w  (viutrol  iheir  livc^; 
r<!u<t»te  thi^m  to  «hxt  tn  their  tnK»  p«<->ition  h«T<*,  t'»  tlicir 
ilejK-n^leix*  U|»c)n  the  frm-OK  of  natiirv  nn'l  th«-  aJ«w>liitc  ntTfwity 
of  i4)rjini<  nntnntl  l.iwi*.  Tt-wcii  ihein  llnf  .trJviinlijjr!*  of  ov 
ojttTation,  the  ItcntMr  nf  ngm-nt^ii,  the  ▼unity  Mnd  cinptinrtM 
nf  »liow  Roil  ^lyle,  the  }nil»lir  <I,Tn^r  of  the  j>riv:ite  nci-nmn- 
Ution  of  wraith,  the  folly  of  <li*tiif«tion,  the  watte  of  tjunrreln 
an«l  titiralion,  and  us  fn<il  a*  lhi»  education  l!ikc«  hold  of  thv 
niM^'M^  diftidnci**  him!  re|drtr««  the  <dd  idenx  whioh  now  couiml 
ihem,  «»  f«Ml,  »nd  no  footer,  will  ycm  'w  »'»le  to  brin<  alwuil 
the    clmniiCH   you   are  utrUinjt   for.** 

.  Mr.  VVa)t«r  lean««l  Uirk  in  hi'*  chair  in  d^p  thou^hl,  ntw! 
hl»  eyes  *«*mod  to  take  an  in«ar«i  reirr)«f»ectire  lof»k.  In  a 
momrni  he  ratted  h\%  head  and  look  in;;  at  u>4  Kiid:  "Mr. 
^aSf^i^it  our  »^nTiTerwtlon  Irkea  mc  back  to  thow  early  d«y<« 
wh«-n  we  rt:inn»encr<5  f»iir  »ct(lon»ent^  !  wnn  a  youni;  man 
tb'.>n,  with  more  etithtiMwoi  and  ^ncrgj  than  cx|>crJenoc,  hut 
many  c»f  ttv  were  middl^-agcd  or  oki  jK*oph-,  wlio,  tirt-d  of 
atrife  an»t  ix>injK'litii-«,  were  htnfiiiig  for  jn-acc  and  agreement. 
W«  »er»  nearly  a  thotiaaml,  men,  women  and  ehildrtti,  aiMi 
far  atK>T«  lite  Bverage  in  knowledge  at>d  IntcUlj^cnc-e.  We  had 
\«(i  l«}dod  '*•  the  MM}i9rtiUiMi>  N>tiefii  of  tho  paM,  ftttd  bad 
pfojirvvimd  Ivyond   lk«  ^dltes  and  creakn««a  of  modern  ctriUxatlon. 


THE    fONDITIOXS    OF    SUCCI^SS.  Ill 

Our  nu-n  «li«l  n»»l  «1rink  »<r  (jutnMr,  or  »|><ti.1  llu^ir  lime  on  ihe 
ntr»rtpi.  ( inr  ««>imci«  <1ii1  n<>i  giuTiricr  «i  llie  »l>rin«' of  f:i*hl»n, 
imr  i<e>r.i»"n)'»  tln'ir  tin^o  r.n.\  nfTfns\h  in  f(Milinli  aMi-n.iitK  lu 
»<iil'»«;ifiiU*  *lylf  for  «"<»nifi>rl.  It  wns  llie  «linr:n1<-r  «••<!  lliC 
ln(cllip(nrr»  of  ih'^w  j«cr.|>lo  wliiili  fni»lil<«<l  O.cm  Ji»  i»ii<tfM''I, 
Biv)  w)ii(Ii  <»lim|H-<l  ihi*  vo'inir  nnllon  n\{\\  tfip  •pirit  will) 
which  it  l«  nnio»Jllf^l  n<<*,  uni  »hih  iiiMlorlnv'*  ami  Miiitni-)* 
our    inx(iiuti'>t)'<. 

"ITriii  wc  Ix'^n  'I'l.Trrrl—uiir.  wc  wimiM  h.irr  U-*-!!  (»«*m«tr«l 
in  llie  firvl  monthn  of  mir  »»TiHlfn<c.  fur  now  «i>fi<litii»fi^  onMixhl 
in  ih«'  {ft•^^  ni"n_y  nrw  i»|iininn*.  II«<I  wr  U>f>n  nnnily,  imr 
»ifH|»l«"  orgnnii:iti«in  »»f\rr  wiMil't  Itnrr  rt>«lraini"«l  u«.  IIn*1  wr 
l'(<Mi  pHMilr,  jiriTr.li*  amhitirn  woi.hl  hnvp  Hrf«-*lr>«l  nil  t'vr 
»<rluMin"«    fur     ptiMic    nilfnrr. 

'Iliil  {he  nrc'l  plnnu^l  ••>•  'ho«/>  iitoi.->r  ■piriu  irxiW  rf»«»l  ntv! 
prtMT.  Our  'hililrrn  wen*  rni-^cl  imvUt  jh«'«*«  lnrtM«»ncr«,  Bnd 
i(  jwMur.tti  «l  ilim  thoKMiKlilv.  TIkw*-  who  j'Hm*'!  m  later 
w«Tc  lli'm-  whw  wvn*  »»tln«<-|«il  h«r  ■  (iiiuriuuiilT  nf  iWir** 
mil  i  !• 'IS  whil  '  U»i»*  ^«"iii/  IK  wiir>  IxHMriit.'  )li«<iiiiiiripf)  lefl 
nn    to    M'lurit    lu    ollu-r    ruuiitrifx. 

"Il  ix  nn  nxiom  in  |»h»»»ulM/jr  tlial  in  :\  hfilthy  nrjrniilum 
tlir  eliiuiiiHliii^  ;m.»(t«  nr%'  >uni«'irul  to  thr»>w  ofl  nil  «  (Ten- 
••ivp  ni.iKir  uhi.Ii  in.'»t  l«e  al'«or!»«'«l,  nrxl  tlui'  the  orR^nintn  Iw 
k«-jil  in  ;4  lirihliy  "•.utc.  Il  i«  jii"t  m  tnio  in  Muriohxfy,  iin<l 
r  <M»i|y  (>«^iitMini4*  will  iirjv.>  out  i>jtiir:>l!y  till  the  iuilividiulM 
il  triniKtl  «<»nln»l  or  n-«iiulhlp,  jtriTiiUvI  nlwsy*  thil  the  influx 
U  n«»t  iM'V)>n>l    IIh"  ra|wi"lir  of  it«    rliminatlnc    pi»wer». 

"\V»'  hnvr  ever  '•ecu  niin<irnl  of  ihU  inilh,  nrvl  whilr  the 
l'nil«il  St«t~<i  h:«vi»  ••|««-nf<l  their  dnom  wMr  to  the  prt«»r  ntvl 
lpn*>f:int  of  nil  nntlon*,  m^er  U>  iletek*)*  their  mt'erlnl  re- 
iiour«T*,  !in<i  inxi'Hifl  ti  jiroTitie  i-lienp  l«U»r  for  their  (•npit«li»rt*», 
revanllow  of  the  »HiRn»lty  of  tnnnfortijing  tcrh  p^rnufw  Into 
intclliRrnt  rltir»fn»,     »e     h«'.-e    lt»rti    •••n-ftil    to   tK»t      ri>conniK« 


112  THE    FUTURE    OOMMOxVWEALTJf. 

emi^mtion,    or   do  Hnythtng    which    would  hat*"     brotif^hl    iipm 
n»  f\i€.h    fin    oulfKHir     »»   jon     havw    rrcriTed     in    the    IfniUsl 

"We  «re  btit  Uftle  kn'»wn,  ■m!  do  not  f;i>e  »<»  >»o  known. 
Wc  h«ve  no  ^mismtioit  l<iirrnil  •piTi»«itr!jj  the  'i-lluKift  of  our 
Ifood  fortune,  sml  >ih<Hil(!  we  ever  l*  thn-atfiuMl  w'tlh  nn 
oo«lri*inihlc  nnijrniiion,  we  wmiid  not  itoMtUitc  to  |»n>ronl  it 
by    forrr  If  n»H>imnr/." 

"Fr.MU  whm  jm\  ^ny,"  I  rcmnrkoxl,  "I  JskIkc  thfit  you  ttxn 
five  u«  hut  Jitlle  l»ope  of  «  sittHMiy  fhftntff,  vet  »urrlr  we 
mtwt  bt«  iihte  lo  do  notitelhinK  to  l>rin<  Mlxnit  iiiorc  (lcffimb!e 
0)nditi<tns.  \\V  t-nnnot  !iee  ho  much  niinfry  i«od  xufTerinz,  nivl 
know  ihiif  it  inn  Ik.'  prwvcnle**  on*!  yrt  fold  our  it)«ud«  Bn<l 
imw-lvrly  w«it  fo^-  (he  tftMHl  work  ^m  n<T^(ni|du«h  itwif.  SoniO 
<H»f  iniiit  take  »miAur<?«  lo  rnlij^hlcn  thf  ni.»s^'f«  if  it  is  ever 
to   lieroniC  4   reality." 

"No,  I  do  not  l>orufve  th»l  ;i  Rr\'»t  tloal  «-.in  Im»  Bccons- 
{dihh'Yj  (tiMin,  yft  th^TC  «rc  many  thinj^  joti  i.tn  do  whi<h 
would   promc^f  the    Hiins  you    bn*c    in  view. 

"A  jtreal  deal  c»n  !>f  done  U)  #*dufTile  the  {>copIe  in  the 
tmc  functionn  of  the  government,  asid  In  the  »dvRnlJiK<n  of 
pnidlc  co-ofK-mlion.  If  you  mn  gvt  the  p«il'Iic  inl^rtntwl 
ami  lead  them  tti  inudy  «nd  dbcii«  th^«e  *juesti'j»»,  n  jjreat 
advance  will  huve  !K>fo  made,  and  it  will  oj.>cn  the  way  for 
pnictiraJ   exjierinjentu. 

"Rul  the  mai«e^  are  more  easily  reached  by  object  Icwwms 
than  by  any  other  fcrrrw  of  education,  aiid  while  it  is  imjx>«- 
•Ible  to  ectabtieh  anywhere  on  American  soil  an  independent 
Commonwealth  like  Kuololand,  you  can  jxiint  otsl  every  instance 
where  the  principleei  we  adTocatt*  have  been  trlnl,  ami  cm- 
phsftise  the  f»rt  that  the  result*  have  been  aniformcly  bene- 
ficent for  the  |*oplo  if  hooe«tly  conducted.  And  when  thin 
edocation  haa  he«n  carrleii   Itinit  eno<tgh    to   imbue   a  aufOcient 


THE     CONDITIONS    OF    SUCCESS.  113 

minilier  f»f  jjt'isons  with  the^^e  principles,  you  can  ^<xm  political 
control  of  some  city  or  township,  ami  give  the  most  important 
features  of  our  system    a   fair  trial. 

'^Experiments  alone  can  teach  wliat  are  the  conditions  that 
will  bring  around  the  desired  results,  and  if  a  number  of 
persons  who  have  outgrown  the  present  public  institutions 
should  find  themselves  in  a  position  where  they  could  control 
the  public  power,  and  use  for  their  benefit  the  agencies  of 
pul)lic  co-operation,  their  example  would  be  a  great  edu- 
cating force,  and  their  influence  would  slowly  radiate  until  it 
would    afFcct    the   whole    population. 

"The  world  moves  in  spite  of  all  conservative  influences, 
and  it  moves  in  the  right  direction.  So  be  of  good  cheer,  and 
do  not  feel  discouraged  because  a  heavy  body  like  the  United 
States  cannot    move  as     fast    as  our  little  Commonwealth. 

''When  you  return  home  you  can  work  in  the  good  cause, 
and  join  your  eflbrts  to  those  of  the  persons  who  are  even 
now  trying  to  educate  the  people  so  as  to  secure  a  better 
form  of  government.  I  hope  that  what  you  have .  seen  here 
will  help  you  in  your  task,  and  that  you  will  prove  a  power 
for   good   in  your  native  land." 

Amen!  I  say.  And  may  this  brief  account  of  what  I  have 
seen  in  this  Hivored  Commonwealth  induce  many  to  imitate : 
them,  and  may  it  be  a  factor,  however  humble,  in  the  peace- 
ful evolution  of  our  industrial  system,  until  every  person  in 
the  land  shall  receive  an  adequate  share  of  the  comforts  that 
should    accrue  to  all  from   the  progress   of  civilization. 


314  THE    FUTUKE    COM  MOxV  WEALTH. 

r 

Ami  no>v,  „„■  dear  Ifarrv,  while,  I  might  write  m,„.|,  ,„„,.e 
thnt  wonid  interest  yo,.,  I  will  not  extend  this  account  of 
my  v.s,t  here,  but  I  will  send  it  to  yo„,  that  yon  n,ay 
reflect  on  what  I  have  described,  and  see  how  it  a  .plies  to 
the  solution  of  the   ,,roble,ns    we   are    studying. 

For  my  part,   I  am   well  satisHe.1  of    the  superiority  of  the 

Ireatze  fully  that  the  progress  they  have  made  is  Aue  to 
U  e  .levelopment  of  their  character  which  enables  them  to 
place  xn  the  hands  of  the  Comn.ouwealth  many  of  its  mo^ 
.mportant  industries,  while  at  the  satne  time  they  Zl 
been  able  to  safely  withdraw  government  cmtrol  from  , I 
deparments  ofmorakand  religion.    The  material  being  better 

ZhITIT::  ''  ''''''"'    ""''    '■-^-    "«-    been  tble    to 
erect  a  much  better  structure. 

For  the  present,   the  example  of  Socioland  can    only    serve 
usTntr  labo"  ""'  '"  '"""  ''"'  ""P^  ^^'^'^  ^"^^'"^ 


Your   friend, 

Samuel  Balcom. 


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